Harry Potter and the Revelation of Ages
by blondewriter
Summary: Harry's Sixth Year: Harry battles with changes within Hogwarts and among his allies. Hermione is the one being taunted by Voldemort, falling into unexplainable seizures. And Malfoy's having a hard time keeping up with the six heroes from Department of
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the characters, settings, etc., etc. Belong to J.K. Rowling  
  


Chapter One -   
  


It was one of those rare moments when no one has to speak in order to achieve a common understanding. Harry Potter gazed around the small circle of friends that had congregated outside Gryffindor Tower. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were on either side of him, neither finding words necessary either. Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood completed the circle. It was their first night back at Hogwarts after a long summer meant to ease the repercussions of June's events, and all six felt that it was proper to wish each other a good year. 

"Well, we should all probably get to bed...with classes in the morning and everything," Hermione said, breaking the restful silence. 

"I need to get back to Ravenclaw," Luna mumbled, dropping a clump of knotted hair that she had been chewing the past five minutes.

"Have a good year everyone," Ginny said cheerily, moving toward the portrait hole.

"Yeah, see everybody tomorrow," Harry added, clapping Ron on the shoulder and waving good-bye to Luna who was disappearing around the corner.

Harry, Ron, and Neville spent the next hour unpacking and trading stories from their summers. Neville hadn't done much, although he had made it to the Quidditch World Cup. However, he was extremely interested in Harry and Ron's summer at Grimmauld Place with the Order. 

"We didn't learn much of anything. Sure, Mundungus would forget we were there and slip up on a piece of information every now and then, and Tonks always seemed keen in letting us know what was going on, but my mum's had a load of practice at keeping stuff from us," Ron explained.

"Maybe we can get some information out of Tonks this year," Harry said, hopefully, "her being the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and everything."

The position had been left empty for the fifth year in a row, and after some trouble that Tonks had gotten into in the ministry for blowing her cover up during an assignment, Dumbledore pleaded that she come to Hogwarts for at least a year and instruct the students. She would also be able to more freely work for the Order under Dumbledore's employment.

"What do you think he's up to this year?" Neville asked a bit nervously.

"Who?" Harry inquired, trying to force Neville into saying Voldemort's name.

"You know...the bad guy."

Harry sighed, "Who knows what Voldemort's doing. He's probably planning massacres and gathering monsters to be on his side. But I do know one thing, he's not getting any information from me. I practiced occlumency all summer -- ."

"This is true," Ron interjected, "I think Harry knows just about all of the embarrassing moments of the Order members that came in and out of Grimmauld place this summer. By the way, are you sure we can't tell Hermione we know about what happened to her in grammar school?"

"No," Harry said flatly, "Anyway -- ."  
  
"C'mon, what happened?" Neville asked, pleadingly.

"Well," Ron began excitedly, "It starts out with a whole bunch of hamsters that she tried to save - ?" 

"Ron," Harry interrupted threateningly.

The three boys turned at the moaning of the door. Seamus walked in, looking ruffled and tired.

"We thought you weren't coming," Neville told him as he helped Seamus pull his trunk over to the fifth four poster in the room.

"Missed the train. My mum had to bring me up here," Seamus said, "Long story."

Harry smiled at Seamus, hoping the year wouldn't start off on a similar foot as the previous.

"Oh, before I forget," Seamus reached into his cloak and extracted a small brown box, "It's for you, Harry." Harry took the box. "It's from my mum."

There was an expensive inkwell inside. 

"Said she picked up on an extra when she did my shopping and to give it to the Potter boy," Seamus grinned.

Harry laughed and thanked Seamus before announcing that he would soon fall dead to the floor if he didn't get some sleep. Dean returned from the common room a few minutes later, and all five boys went to bed. Harry lay awake for a while though, despite his aching tiredness. It was his tradition to meditate his first night back, to listen to the lull of Hogwarts castle....  
  
********************************************

* * *

"Ya' know I no'iced a pa'ern' wi' the firs' br'fas'," Ron stated philosophically through a mouthful of sausage and syrup.

"That the Gryffindors build little fortresses of dishes around their food to keep you from snatching everything edible within your reach?" Hermione offered, grabbing the orange juice pitcher as Ron began to reach for it.

Ron swallowed hard, "No, that it's always sausage and hot cakes and potato shavings."

Hermione blinked, "We've a prodigy in our midst."

"And why are you being so sarcastic this morning?" Ron demanded, taking the bread bowl from Harry.

"Because my first sight of another human being was you, speaking through the syrup drool in the side of your mouth -- .

"Schedules!" Harry proclaimed, relieved as he shoved an envelope at Hermione and another at Ron.

"We start in the greenhouses again," Hermione informed Harry, who was comparing his schedule's with her's, "What about you, Ron?"

"Yup...but wait!" Ron seized Harry's schedule, "The only other class that I have with either of you is Defense Against the Dark Arts! We're in different places the rest of the week!"

"Harry and I have all of the same classes," Hermione observed, gently prying Harry's schedule from Ron, who was in shock.

"Who am I going to copy off of?" 

"Clearly, you're devastated that you don't have the pleasant company of your friends," Hermione said grumpily, "That's what you get for choosing a schedule that isn't specific to a future occupation."

"But if we have the same classes," Harry motioned to himself and Hermione, "then you chose classes that you need to be an auror."

"So?"

"So, I didn't know you wanted to be an auror."

Hermione sighed, looking at the table as she spoke, "The skills might prove useful some day."

Harry didn't press the matter, mainly because Dumbledore approached the Gryffindor table and asked if he could speak with Harry for a moment. Harry allowed himself to be led into the Entrance Hall by the headmaster.

"Harry, I wanted to speak with you about Tonk's Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Dumbledore said, suppressing a smile.

"Yes," Harry couldn't help speaking a little stiffly with Dumbledore. A sore had been left in their relationship since fifth year when Harry learned Dumbledore had been withholding the prophecy from him.

"Would you mind assisting her with her Defense classes?"

"How do you mean?"

"Help her teach the classes. I know that the students could learn from your experiences and would willingly listen to what you have to say. I was highly impressed with uh..Dumbledore's Army, as you called it, and I would like your enthusiasm to be incorporated into the curriculum. What do you say?"

Harry stood still for moment. He didn't know if he was capable of teaching his peers, "Er...sure."

"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled and pulled a piece of paper from his cloak, "Here is an addition to your class schedule. I hope to here of the progress you and Tonks make." 

The headmaster turned and walked down a flight of stairs, leaving Harry to goggle at his hefty new schedule. 

  
  


___________________________________________________________________________  
  


"What did Dumbledore want, Harry?" Hermione asked as she, Harry, and Ron walked toward the greenhouses for Herbology. 

"Oh, he wanted to know if I'd help teach Defense," Harry murmured, anticipating Hermione's reaction.

"Harry! That's wonderful! It will be such a good experience. I absolutely cannot wait for your first lesson. What do you think you'll teach on? How about defense against mild curses or perhaps a little history on the origin of some of the Unforgivables, really start the year off right," Hermione was bouncing as they walked and excitedly talked with her hands.

"You know, I probably won't even get to do that much. I'm sure Tonks has it under control --."

"Don't say that -- ."

Ron cleared his throat, and Harry turned to him. Ron extracted a bulky envelope from his bag.

"Take a peek, mate," he grinned.

Harry took the envelope and lifted the flap. Two flesh-colored cords were wrapped inside.

"Extendable Ears?"

"Yup. Fred and George sent them to me! The owls arrived while you were talking to Dumbledore," Ron informed him proudly.

"Wow, this is great Ron!" Harry fingered the Extendable Ears before passing the envelope back to Ron, who clutched it in his hand like it was a saber, "What are you going to do with them first?"

"I don't know, but no time better than the present," Ron said, gentle pulling the cords from their envelope.

Hermione, who had been watching purse-lipped, waved her hand frantically in front of Ron, "Don't pull those out now!"

She looked around at the clumps of students making their way across the lawn, "Honestly, people's private conversations are their own business, and you shouldn't be using those things on school grounds. I don't even know why Fred and George sent you those. They can be so --."

Ron placed the flexible tabs into his ears and let the cords dangle along the ground. His attention was soon directed to Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown who were walking about twenty feet ahead of them. Harry and Hermione exchanged a look and suppressed laughter when Ron paled. 

"Not exactly your favorite topic?" Hermione sniggered.

Ron ripped the Extendable Ears from his ears, "They're talking about Justin Finch Fletchley. Evidently his the greatest thing since the cauldron!" 

"See, those things are worthless devices aside from petty gossip," Hermione said pointedly.

A mild expression of amusement crossed Ron's face, then he bit down on his lip and waved the Extendable Ears in his fist, "That's it Hermione! I've thought of the perfect use for these things!"

"What?" Harry inquired.

"Oh, this is rich! This is going to be good. Harry, mate, finally we shall prevail!" Ron whooped.

"What's he talking about?" Harry looked at Hermione.

Hermione returned to pursing her lips and sending menacing glances Ron's way.  
  


A/N: Please Review! And thanks so much for reading!


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the characters, settings, etc., etc. Belong to J.K. Rowling

Chapter Two -- 

A couple of days into the school year had proved uneventful. Tonks had been called home for a few days, so the beginning of Defense classes had been pushed back until Thursday. Harry wasn't especially looking forward to them as he already had homework piling up from his other classes, but Tonks's return would allow him the opportunity to drill her about Order of the Phoenix activities. 

Harry stumbled into the boy's dormitory Wednesday afternoon. He had been planning to take a nap before dinner since he had woken up that morning. However, as soon as he tiredly swung the door open, he was met with a congregation of Gryffindor boys.

"Hey, let Harry through everybody! He hasn't seen it yet!" 

Ron's voice was muffled through the small crowd. Harry pushed his way through the boys, and once he had pried himself from the huddle he say the object worthy of such a gathering. A giant blackboard had been hung between his bed and Ron's. It was headed WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW, followed by a chart with the name of every Hogwart's girl fourth year and above and a connecting chart of the name of every Hogwart's boy fourth year and above. 

"Now remember, I shall began posting their opinions tomorrow, and it's two knuts to enter the room - unless you're a fifth year, of course - and I can't guarantee your name will be updated. It's up to the girls who they talk about." Ron called over the group, "That's all."

The boys began filing from the room, talking anxiously. Once everyone but Harry, Ron, and Neville had left, Harry asked, "What IS THAT?" gesturing to the blackboard. 

"That, my friend, is our business. With these babies," Ron patted his front pocket, and Harry could see part of an Extendable Ear poking from underneath the cloth, "we can let any guy know what any girl says about him. No more worrying about who to ask out or what you look like because we'll know. Isn't it brilliant?"

Harry shook his head and wordlessly collapsed on his bed. Chalk dust from the board fell across his face, clouding his glasses. He jerked the bed curtains closed.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Harry, Harry, Harry."

Harry could feel someone shaking his shoulder but was too relaxed to care.

"Harry!"

A sensation of wakefulness clicked in his head and he sprung from his resting position. Hermione was leaning over him. 

"Huh...what are you doing here?" Harry checked his surroundings. He had fallen asleep on top of his bed covers, forgetting to remove his tie and cloak. 

"You missed dinner. I came to get you because we have to go see Tonks. Remember, you two start teaching classes in the morning," Hermione said slowly.

"Uh...wha...."

"Should I throw water on you or something?" Hermione moved threateningly toward the water pitcher underneath the window.

"No!" Harry stood up, "I'm awake, really." He yawned widely, thinking it impossible for him to suck in any more air.

"Why are you so tired anyway?" Hermione asked, stepping away from the water pitcher. 

"Oh, you know I never sleep well," Harry grumbled, fumbling with his tie. 

"Nightmares?" Hermione asked, worriedly.

"No, nothing like that. It's just...I don't know. I always think so hard or something like that..."

"I know what you mean," Hermione reached into Harry's trunk and pulled out a fresh cloak, "Here, that one's wrinkled. Hurry, we've got to go."

Before they left, Hermione gave the blackboard a questioning stare, "What is that?"

"Ron's investment," Harry smiled, dragging Hermione from the room.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Tonks's quarters were a smaller version of Gryffindor common room. There was a expansive fireplace on the wall opposite from the door, and overstuffed armchairs and leather ottomans were crowded around the hearth. Her bedroom was small but overflowing with pillows, and she had a case of butterbeer in a small icebox behind one of the armchairs. 

"Good to see you three!" Tonks said excitedly as she guided them by the fireplace, "I hate that I missed the first couple of days, but hey, strong start tomorrow. Right, Harry?"

"Uh...yeah."

Ron eyed the miniature icebox, and Tonks offered them all a butterbeer. It wasn't long before a friendly flow of conversation settled in, and Harry could sense a bit of Grimmauld's presence. 

"And then the bloke became so frustrated with the clerk at the apothecary that he busted the lids off all the enchanted bat wing jars and the wings attacked the clerk," Tonks howled.

Ron and Harry sputtered on their butterbeer.

"You mean you just stood there and let that happen?" Hermione interrupted. 

"Oh, but it was priceless, Hermy, you have to admit that," Tonks grinned.

"Well," Hermione was prompted by a wink from Harry, "yeah, it sounds pretty funny."

"So, I know you didn't come here to hear about my school shopping," Tonks cleared her throat, "What do you want, Potter?"

Harry's expression dulled, "I came to hear what I need to do tomorrow - for Defense classes."

"Oh, that's right. Dumbledore wanted you to help me. Probably in case I trip and knock myself out or something," Tonks rambled, "Well, I'll just introduce you tomorrow. Maybe you can teach them a fun little curse, huh."

"A fun little curse?" Ron laughed, "Yeah, Harry, why don't you teach them a little ditty you learned from Voldemort?"

Harry snorted, but a Tonks became solemn.

"What's wrong, Tonks?" Hermione asked, raising from her slouch against the couch cushions.

"Oh, not much. Just remembering last night's Order meeting," Tonks spoke as if her throat were pasted together. 

Harry's heart began racing, "Wha...what about the meeting?"

"I don't know how much I can tell you guys."

"Tonks, we have a right to know" Harry said quietly. 

"Yeah, I guess you do," Tonks smiled half-heartedly, "Okay. Did Hagrid ever tell you that he visited the giants last summer?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded.

"Well, a band of them attacked a couple of predominately wizarding towns this past weekend. One was in Ireland...and, uh...a-another was in Scotland," Tonks looked down at her lap.

"What were the towns?" Harry pressed.

"Hatter's Village and...Godric's Hollow," she looked up and shrugged her eyebrows.

"Godric's Hollow?" Harry repeated, "I didn't know that it was um...in Scotland."

"Yeah."

The four sat in silence for a long time.

"I never heard much about Godric's Hollow -- ." Harry began.

"Harry," Hermione tugged on the end of his cloak, "It was coincidence, I'm sure."

Ron nodded.

"No, it wasn't," Tonks snapped, chucking her empty butterbeer can into the fire. Her face glowed with the orange light as she silently demanded eye contact with Harry, "Voldemort is sending you a message, Harry. And he's not going to stop, either. So be strong and get used to that anvil in the pit of your stomach right now."

Ron's lips parted and his mouth hung open. Harry took Tonks's forwardness with appreciation, "You're right. Thank-you. Please, keep us informed."

Harry stood from the couch and made his way to the door. Ron and Hermione followed him hesitantly. Harry turned around at the threshold and smiled, "Oh, and thanks for the butterbeer. Hit the spot."

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Oh, ha-ha, hehe. Check it out, Harry," Ron beamed, waving his arms at the what-you-want-to-know blackboard the next morning, "I was up all night, dropping the Extendables from the windows in the boy's hall. You can hear what's going on downstairs...with the girls. They must not need that much sleep. Three in the morning, I tell you!"

"Ron," Harry muttered, shoving socks onto his feet, "you're insane."

"They think Seamus has great hair, that Dean's the cool, artsy type, that you have amazing eyes, and that my red hair is...get this...cute."

Harry stared at Ron in a concerned manner, "I'm going to credit that comment to your lack of sleep."

"Nope," Ron bubbled ,"Didn't sleep a bit. Heh-heh....1,2,3,4,5,6,7 ... I think I'm functioning okay though. Like clockwork actually! But I think a breakfast of solid syrup might help me be more attentive. Wouldn't want to accidently encounter a rampaging hippogriff and not know it was there -- ."

"Somnio," Harry extended his wand.

Ron doubled over on his bed, fast asleep.

"No one should ever suffer through him like that," Harry told himself as he left for breakfast.

Hermione was engaged in a conversation with Dumbledore outside the Great Hall when Harry arrived.

"Where's Ron?" she asked when Harry warily approached them.

"Um...he's not feeling so great this morning. I think he just needs a little rest."

"I could use some rest myself," Hermione sighed, "I was just telling the headmaster that lights out times should be implemented in the dormitory halls. The Gryffindor girls were up chatting and screaming all along the corridor until 3:14 last night."

"So I hear."

Dumbledore placed an aged hand on Harry's shoulder, "I was waiting for you, Harry. I apologize, but I'm afraid that I need to pull you away from your breakfast again. Would you mind accompanying me to my office?"

"No problem," Harry waved bye to Hermione and trailed behind Dumbledore.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge was waiting for their return in Dumbledore's office. Harry immediately detected the tension between the headmaster and the minister. 

"Finally, Dumbledore. Thought you were having to carry the boy here."

Dumbledore motioned for Harry to have a seat next to Fudge, "Harry, the minister needs to speak with you for a moment."

Fudge was another man that Harry would rather not have an involved conversation with after the previous year. 

"Mr. Potter, I'm here to inform you that you have been chosen to serve on the Wizengamot."

Harry knew he looked shocked.

"Now, I realize it's a bit shocking, and I can't say that I want you to serve on the Wizengamot -- ."

"And why not?" Harry boiled.

"Because you're too young, but I don't really have a say in it. We had to replace Dolores, and your name was pulled from the hat."

"The hat? Minister -- ."

Fudge wrenched his lime-green bowler hat off in annoyance and extracted his wand from his cloak in much the same manner. He tapped the bowler hat twice and said through gritted teeth, "Wizengamot replacement." A piece of parchment fluttered from the hat. Fudge passed it to Harry. The name Harry Potter was scripted on the paper. 

"As I said, not my decision. And you really don't have much choice either. I don't know why the blasted hat wants you."

"You can tell the minister is delighted to have you on his staff," Dumbledore sad, cheerily from behind his desk, "I think you should consider it an honor, Harry, that you have been designated to be on the Wizengamot."

"What do I have to do?" Harry asked.

"Attend the trials and place a vote. It's not necessary you give us input, but I suppose I couldn't stop you if I wanted to," Fudge slapped the hat back on his head and rose from his chair, "Now, I have a lot of things to take care of this morning. Next trial is in a week. You'll be owled information."

Fudge brusquely left the room.

"Good luck, Harry," Dumbledore shook Harry's hand and led him to the door.

Harry silently returned to the Great Hall.

A/N: Please review! Thanks for reading!

  
  



	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the characters, settings, etc., etc. Belong to J.K. Rowling  
  


Chapter Three --   
  


Harry was running late to his first Defense class, as was his custom with events he did not want to attend. He reached the Defense corridor and slowed his jog to a stride, catching his breath from the dash up four flights of stairs. He carefully pushed open the door to Tonks's classroom so he wouldn't be heard. Maybe if Tonks never noticed he had entered he wouldn't have to give a partial lesson. 

From his crack in the door, Harry could see Tonks talking to her group of second years jovially from a stool at the front of the room. 

"So what was our Mr. Potter to do but stuff his socks into Mrs. Weasley's screaming soup to get the boiling warabee to shut up?"

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, telling stories about me nonetheless. Don't be a jerk, Harry. Don't be a jerk. 

Harry interrupted her, "What I think that Professor Tonks is getting to is that warabees like to climb into small pockets of cloth and sleep. The warabee slept as it was being boiled to death, and Mrs. Weasley found her dinner to be wrapped in quite an appetizing sock, not to pride myself, of course."

The second years laughed at Harry, and a few asked him what he had been thinking that he would throw his socks into soup.

"Well, Professor Potter has come!" Tonks clapped her hands together and gestured for Harry to join her at the front of the room.

"They don't have to call me a professor," Harry muttered when he neared Tonks's side.

"Oh, don't be silly. You're teaching this class just as much as I am," Tonks beamed.

That impressive butterfly cage in Harry's stomach was opened, "Er...I dunno...."

"As a matter of fact class, it's about time for Mr. Potter's half of the lesson!" Tonks called loudly over the room, "Teach them anything you want, Harry."

Tonks rushed to a desk at the back of the room to observe Harry's lesson. Harry weakly pulled himself onto the stool and stared out over the room, looking for an inspirational object on which to base his lesson. He saw that the second year class was composed of Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's. It wasn't long before Harry had been staring out over the class for an unnatural amount of time. Tonks cleared her throat, smiled at Harry, and winked. 

"Um...today...we should probably talk about...." Harry began but then became obsessed with a boy at the back of the room who had the audacity to yawn.

An idea occurred to Harry, and he leapt from the his stool and stepped on the platform underneath the chalkboard. His back to the class, Harry told the room full of students, "There are only two things I hate about Hogwarts." He wrote on the board in large letters SLYTHERINS and SNAPE.

The room broke into appreciative laughs. 

"And I'm going to teach you a nifty little curse that will simply make them both inflate with anger."  
  


___________________________________________________________________________  
  


"You taught your second year -- ."

"Tonks's second year -- ."

"-- class how to make the Slytherin's cauldrons explode?" Hermione began to turn red.

Ron quickly crammed a buttered roll into his mouth to cover his delirious laughing. Other members of Gryffindor soon began to lean into the center of the table to see Ron turn purple and flail about until Harry dislodged the roll stuck in his air passage. The roll gained momentum and velocity as it soared, landing in a perfectly good vat of ice cream on the Ravenclaw table. 

"Tell her what the cauldrons do next, Harry," Ron pressed with no pause.

Hermione was busy apologizing to the Ravenclaws, "Terribly sorry - ."

She ducked to missed the regurgitated roll dripping ice cream that was catapulted from some very irate Ravenclaws.

"Do you see how sweets turn civilized people into savages?" Hermione huffed, forking the soggy roll and thrusting it under Ron's nose.

Ron ate it.

"Ron!!!"

"Anyway," Ron continued when he was done chewing, "Harry's exploding cauldrons reassemble into mouths that laugh manically then stick their tongues out and give the Slytherin's a raspberry -- ,"

"Harry!!!"

Harry smothered a chuckle and told Hermione he'd meet her in Tonks's quarters after dinner to go over some things for their private Advanced Defense lessons -- another time consuming idea proposed by Dumbledore.  
  


___________________________________________________________________________  
  


"You two know so much already!" Tonks said exasperated.

Harry and Hermione had effortlessly blocked a series of eight curses that Tonks had prepared. Her living room had taken a beating from the repelled shattering curse. Harry was scooping shards of glass into the trash basket.

"After all those things Harry gets himself into and after the DA and extra preparation for Defense classes the past few years, we've just picked stuff up. Ron too," Hermione explained, levitating Tonks's repaired flower vases back onto the fireplace mantle.

"I can see," Tonks mumbled, "You will both make excellent aurors, that's for sure."

"Well," Hermione smiled, "we're not quite there yet --."

"Hermione's not sure she wants to be an auror," Harry interjected.

Tonks gave each a puzzled look.

"Harry doesn't think I'm capable of -- ." Hermione said sourly.

"I think you're capable of anything, but there's no need for you to put your life in danger just -- ."

"Just to do what, Harry? Help a friend? Achieve a level of professionalism -- ."

"Professionalism! Herm, you could get injured, you could die -- ."

"So could you! Nobody's stopping Mr. It from risking his life to do something he wants to do!"

Harry dropped the trash basket.

"Don't say what you're thinking," Hermione begged, "I don't want to hear about him right now, Harry."

"All right," Harry said softly.

Tonks took a deep breath and held her heart, "You two might run me to the ground. Lupin warned me of this."

"Of what?" they both demanded.

Tonks grinned, "Such focus and strength when you two work together. I tremble to think of the state any wizard or witch would find themselves in after having an unpleasant encounter with the Dream Team."

Hermione sighed, "I never liked that name."

"I'm sort of taken with it now," Harry mused, putting the trash basket back into place.

"Oh, Tonks," Hermione snapped her fingers, "did Harry tell you he's been placed on the Wizengamot?"

"Dumbledore told me," Tonks replied.

"My first trial is next week," Harry sighed, collapsing into the armchair closest to the fire.

"Next week," Tonks rubbed the back of her head as if willing a piece of information to come to her, "Oh....oh...your first trial, huh?"

"Yeah...."

"I bet that's Shacklebolt's trial date," Tonks said gravely.

"Shacklebolt?" Hermione repeated, "What has he been accused of?"

"After last spring's um...little skirmish -- ."

Harry felt the familiar catch in his throat. Tonks continued.

" -- the ministry found out that Shacklebolt had known Sirius's whereabouts and had been lying to the ministry to protect Sirius. You see, Sirius was never cleared and can't be - now that he's dead. In such prominent cases, the wizard being cleared has to testify under the influence of truth serum. Sirius...can't do that now."

Tonks wouldn't let herself look at Harry.

"But anyway...um...the ministry is holding a case that will determine if Shacklebolt is fired for not revealing where Sirius was staying."

"How did the ministry find out in the first place?" Hermione asked.

"Sirius died in the Ministry of Magic building. Shacklebolt was there in the same room and did not capture Sirius and will not speak for himself until his trial. They've deduced the truth."

"But there weren't ministry officials around while Sirius was there -- ."

"You know Harry's map? That the Marauder's left?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"The ministry has something similar. They can keep tabs of the movements of who comes into their building -- which is why I didn't get in trouble for being there. It was my night to keep watch over the building and prevent any unauthorized entrances. I saw every one come in one by one. I saw the death eaters first, but it's not unusual for them to enter the ministry at night. Fudge protected those people for months. Said that he had granted them entrance. That Lucius Malfoy was working on a project for him and that Lucius might bring other wizards into the building. The Order thinks he was under Imperious curse. We knew the death eaters were looking for something to aid Voldemort, and when we found out what that was, we snuck Order members into the ministry on the nights that ministry aurors working for the Order watched the building. The next morning we would erase the presence of which ever Order member protected the door into the Department of Mysteries. But that's why Shacklebolt is going to trial. They know he's working for Dumbledore and that Dumbledore tried to clear Sirius earlier. But he couldn't get a trial."  
  


____________________________________________________________________________  
  


Harry received a letter the next day, Friday, telling him that the Wizengamot trial would be held Sunday, September the fourteenth. His weekend was spent slaving over homework. His hands were gray from stubborn ink that wouldn't wash away, and Hermione had purple bags under her eyes. Harry had insisted Saturday night that she come back to Gryffindor Tower, which she finally complied to, but Sunday morning he came down the spiral staircase and could see her curled up on the floor, surrounded by stacks of books. 

"Hermione this is ridiculous," Harry chided, helping her to her feet.

"Wha -- 's uuuuuup?" Ron yawned enormously from the staircase.

"Hermione pulled another all nighter and fell asleep on the floor," Harry enunciated the word 'floor' harshly as he prodded Hermione towards the couch.

"So much homework, but I'm done," Hermione whispered tiredly. 

"Well, that means you can sleep today," Harry told her, collecting the books on the floor and making a pile of Hermione's stuff beside the couch.

Hermione dissolved into the couch and instantly fell asleep.

"Will you make sure someone takes her upstairs?" Harry asked Ron, "I've got to get to the ministry."

"Oh, that's right. Shacklebolt's trial is today -- ."

"Morning!" 

Ginny Weasley came bounding down the girls' staircase. She stopped abruptly as she neared the couch, "Why's Hermione asleep on the couch?"

"Because she's raving mad," Ron sighed, "Stayed up all night on a Saturday doing homework."

Ginny looked to Harry, who rolled his eyes and nodded his head, "Would you get her upstairs before the whole tower wakes up and starts congregating in here. Last time we left her on the couch, we returned from breakfast to find people sitting on her."

Ginny and Ron were slapping Hermione on the cheeks and yelling "FIRE!" as Harry left through the portrait hole. Dumbledore had told Harry to come to the gates at the entrance of the school where Harry would find the headmaster with a portkey that would take him to the ministry.

Harry took his time walking across the grounds. It was one of those late summer mornings, and Harry wanted to inhale every molecule of the perfect September air. He was somewhat dispirited on his walk by the sight of Draco Malfoy on his broomstick, flying over the quidditch pitch. Harry was a little jealous, however. He would much rather be on his Firebolt than on his way to a trial. 

He found Dumbledore at the gate. The old man was holding an apple core.

"Is that my portkey?" Harry asked.

"This? Oh, no. My breakfast," Dumbledore had the familiar twinkle in his eye, "Here is your portkey."

Dumbledore tipped his head to the ground beside Harry's feet. Harry looked down then jumped back a foot in shock. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, had been beside him, her back arched and her teeth barred. Upon closer inspection, Harry realized that Mrs. Norris was not moving.

"Is she Petrified?" Harry asked, pale-faced.

"No, dear boy," Dumbledore shook his head, "She is stuffed."

Dumbledore sighed contentedly. Harry looked at his professor like he was madman.

"You mean she's dead?" Harry asked in low-tones, praying Filch didn't come running from the quidditch shed or the Forbidden Forrest, waving a sharpened ax in the air.

"Yes indeed. Mrs. Norris snuffed it this summer, and we made her the official Hogwart's portkey," Dumbledore explained, as if informing Harry that the houselves had chosen a new brand of toilet paper.

"I see..." Harry said, "Well, I should be going. Er...I'll just uh..."

Harry reached down and disgustedly picked the immobile Mrs. Norris up by the tip of the tail, holding the sneering cat at arms's length. Harry thought just as he felt the tug at his navel that Mrs. Norris was more frightening in death.  
  


A/N: I will update soon! Please review! 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: All settings, characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.   
  


Chapter Four --   
  


After having reached the Ministry of Magic, Harry was immediately escorted to Courtroom Ten where his own hearing had taken place the previous summer. It didn't seem as dark and foreboding this time, though. Wall sconces sent a warm glow along the walls, and the jury of fifty were all friendly chatting. Harry approached the benches, and a tall, brunette woman dashed over to him. 

"Mr. Potter, it is so good to see that you were able to come. Hi, I'm Amelia Bones. You go to school with my daughter, I believe," the lady said very quickly.

"Yeah - I mean, yes. I've seen Susan around before," Harry replied nervously.

Fudge was banging a gavel onto a short podium placed in front of his chair.

"Oh, I think they're starting now," Mrs. Bones said, ushering Harry up to the benches and directing him to a seat near a formidable wizard with a heavy black mustache.

The lights dimmed and the chair with the leather bands appeared in the center of the room. Harry heard a door swing open and shifted in his seat so he could see who was coming through the doors. Kingsley Shacklebolt walked to the chair and took a seat. A leather band clasped itself around Kingsley's chest.

"Ministry of Magic vs. Auror Shacklebolt," Fudge's voice echoed against the stone walls of the courtroom.

Harry could see Percy Weasley from the corner of his eye, taking notes as he had at Harry's hearing. 

After some preliminary droning, which Harry couldn't find the focus to pay attention to, Fudge began a direct conversation with Kingsley.

"You were assigned to capture the escaped convict, Sirius Black. Is that correct, Mr. Shacklebolt?" Fudge sneered.

Harry was reminded of emotional courtroom movies that his Aunt Petunia watched on weekday afternoons.

"Yes," Kingsley said in his barotone voice.

"Did you know the whereabouts of Sirius Black prior to the night of the ministry raid?" Fudge's eyes were glittering.

Harry found Fudge's game of baiting revolting.

"Yes," Kingsley answered truthfully.

"Did you have the opportunity to withhold Sirius Black and bring him before the appointed ministry officials prior to the aforementioned night of the ministry raid?"

Kingsley remained silent for a moment, and Harry thought he was debating lying.

"Yes, if that had been my intention," Kingsley said quietly, the sound of his voice settling like dust around Harry.

Kingsley was going to tell them the whole truth. He was going to tell him he had been friends with Sirius. He couldn't do that. Harry didn't expect him to throw away his position like that.

"If that had been your intention?" Fudge yelled, "What was your intention, Mr. Shacklebolt. Capturing the murderer, Sirius Black, was your job -- ." 

"Sirius Black was innocent!" Kingsley shouted over Fudge.

"Innocent! You think that blowing up a street and killing thirteen muggles is innocence, Shacklebolt!"

Kingsley took a deep breath, "Sirius never hurt anyone but himself."

He bit down on his lip, "He was framed fifteen years ago. I won't bother telling you by whom because you're not going to listen to me anyway. But as a friend of Sirius's, I'm here to say that he never killed anyone -- no matter what he thought. I had known his whereabouts since February of the previous year, and I never considered turning him into you, Fudge. I know what you would have done. You wouldn't have listened to him. Not for a second. You would have seen those ministry oafs struggling with his emaciated figure from a distance, and you would haveimmediately ordered his soul be sucked out. And you would have felt proud of yourself! Sirius, the last Black, died nobly...beside his godson -- ."

It was the first time since Kingsley had entered the courtroom that he looked up at Harry.

"-- and Sirius would have had it no other way. I'm guilty. What is my sentence?"

The jury sat -- silent. Fudge was too annoyed to speak. Harry looked down at his lap, half wishing he could have said those things about Sirius. He willed himself to look at Kingsley. Not sure if Kingsley could see him or not, Harry bowed his head and smiled at the member of the Order of the Phoenix strapped in the defendant's chair. Kingsley, too, bowed his head.

Susan Bones proposed that Kingsley's sentence be a drop from title of auror to auror trainer. Harry thought it a gracious sentence from the ministry's perspective. Kingsley, himself, looked surprised. Twenty-eight hands raised in favor of Mrs. Bones proposition, including Harry's.

Kingsley came to see Harry after the Wizengamot began filing out. He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and bent over so no one else would hear what he was saying.

"I want you to know, that was for Sirius. Not you. But I'm glad you were here to hear it."

"I know," Harry said, "Thank-you."

Kingsley smiled, "Oh, and Lupin wanted me to tell you that you might be seeing him around Hogwarts soon."

"That's good news," Harry replied.

As Kingsley and Harry exited the courtroom, Harry glanced at Percy. He was talking animatedly to another ministry official. 

"I'll be transferring there in a couple of weeks," Percy said smugly.

Harry glared contemptuously at the traitor Weasley. 

"Moving departments again," Kingsley whispered, noticing the direction of Harry's attention.

"Good riddance," Harry mumbled.

  
____________________________________________________________

* * *

Harry wasn't sure if he could discard of Mrs. Norris once he got back to Hogwarts or not. He stood at the gate for a few moments, trying to work up the nerve to toss the stuffed cat into the lake, but he feared that cats might too have ghosts and that Mrs. Norris would haunt him for the rest of his life. So he carried the cat at a cautious distance back to the castle. 

The grounds were quiet for a Sunday afternoon, and Harry decided everyone was at lunch. 

Not far from Hagrid's cabin, Harry passed Luna Lovegood who was stretched out on the ground. He doubled back and saw that she was aiming a camera at the sky.

"Taking pictures of the sky, today?" Harry stood over her, grinning.

He hadn't come across Luna much the first week of school, and even though he hated to admit it, he had come to appreciate her quirkiness. 

"No, of the castle," Luna responded, shaking her head as if it had been obvious.

"Um...I don't know much about photography. But seeing as how the castle is perpendicular to the ground, don't you think it would be easier to take pictures of it if you were...I dunno, call me crazy....standing up?" Harry reasoned.

"I'm trying it out from different angles," Luna told him, "I've already taken a front-on picture. It was boring."

"Right," Harry laughed, "So, where is everyone?"

"I scared them away," Luna sighed.

"How did you do that?"

"I tried to take candid shots of them. You know, of them swimming in the lake, kissing in the bushes, flying -- you know, everyday Hogwart's life. I don't know why they all got so upset."

Luna began to change her roll of film.

"Why do you want all those pictures anyway?" Harry asked, moving to help Luna change the film. She was becoming irritated with the process and began flinging the plastic capsules around dangerously.

"For the magazine."

"You mean, the Quibbler?"

"Yeah, well, the Hogwart's edition."

"There's a Hogwart's edition?" 

"My dad agreed to print me five hundred magazines a month to help prepare me for my job after I graduate. I'm going into the business with him. The profits will be my allowance," Luna explained.

"Oh, I see."

"The first edition is on the Hogwart's ghosts and their pasts."

"So...that's why you're outside...taking pictures of the living students...having fun?"

"The ghosts don't like their pictures to be taken," Luna said, "They itch for days afterward."

"Why don't you come inside and get some lunch?" Harry motioned to the castle with the hand holding Mrs. Norris.

"Is that -- Mrs. Norris?" Luna asked, an expression of fascination lighting her face.

"Yeah, she's...well, she's dead, actually. I used her as a portkey this morning -- ."

"Can I keep her?" Luna opened her eyes wide and looked pleadingly at Harry.

"Er...you want to keep the stuffed cat?"

"Please, Harry....I'll take good care of her."

Harry held Mrs. Norris up by the tail, "Sure, take her. I don't think Dumbledore will miss her much."

Luna held the cat lovingly.

Harry backed away slowly, "You know what -- forget lunch."  
  


______________________________________________________________________________  
  


Harry didn't see Ron and Hermione until late that afternoon when he dropped in on Tonks. They were playing a game of exploding snap against Tonks and Lupin.

"Harry! You've got to get in on this!" Ron roared, "We're pulverizing the changing freak and the werewolf!" 

Hermione ushered for Harry to join them, "Ron's uh...really excited." Help me, she mouthed.

"You know what," Lupin brandished his wand, "I quit." 

He made the cards disappear, which sent Ron into a fit of hysterics.

"Hey, that's illegal -- ."

"So, Harry, how was your first trial?" Lupin asked pleasantly.

" -- can't just flip your wand out and quit because you're losing -- ."

"Yeah, what's Shacklebolt's sentence?" Tonks asked nervously.

" -- look at me...I'm upset I'm losing...I'm just going to make the board disappear -- ."

"He's been moved down to auror trainer," Harry told them.

" -- well, isn't that just peachy! I'm not longer losing because there's no longer a game!"

Relief overwhelmed Tonks's face, "That's all?"

" -- Really! Bring back the cards! Admit that I was winning, it's not difficult. I'll help you -- ,"

"Ron! Shut up!" Hermione placed the bond-binding curse on him

"That's wonderful, Harry!" Lupin exclaimed, "But how did he do it?"

Ron's body fell heavily to the floor.

"He told the truth," Harry said.

"But the truth should have gotten him convicted," Hermione argued.

"He really stood up for Sirius, Remus. You should have been there."

"I would have liked that," Remus assured him.

"This calls for a celebration," Tonks announced, "Harry, Hermione -- I've moving your report down to three and half feet."

"Thanks, Tonks. Really," Harry replied sardonically.

"Should someone help him?" Lupin gestured to a stationary Ron.

Hermione undid the curse but was later forced to perform the lip locking curse.

"Going to have a pain in my posterior for weeks," Ron had grumbled all the way to Gryffindor Tower.  
  


* * *

  
____________________________________________________

October approached quickly. Harry was excitedly awaiting the quidditch season, but he was worried that he would never balance quidditch and all of his homework. Ron had made a profit of two galleons so far on his gossip board. He probably would have done a bit better, but Dobby had cleaned the board one night. Harry had to hide the houself in his trunk to save him from an avenging Ron. Hermione never ceased studying. Ginny was taking her prefect responsibilities almost as seriously as Hermione had her fifth year. Neville had only caused himself twelve minor accidents, and Luna had been restricted from the grounds from seven in the morning to eleven at night on weekends. 

Harry came down for breakfast one morning to witness Luna attempting to feed Mrs. Norris.

"That's creepy, Luna," Ron muttered.

"You've been short-sighted. You've been brought up in a society that believes that only living things need nourishment. Harry understands, don't you, Harry?"

Harry took a set between Ginny and Hermione, "Huh, yeah, whatever."

"I wish this storm would go away," Ginny pouted.

It wasn't until she said something that Harry noticed the Great Hall's ceiling was a deep gray and sheets of rain were disappearing a foot underneath the imaginary sky.

"Okay, Luna, stop it. Stop it," Ron grabbed Luna's wrist and pried a piece of carefully shredded bacon from her grasp. 

"Whatever you say, Ronald," Luna placed Mrs. Norris on the bench beside her.

"Ron, let Luna express herself," Hermione said from behind a book.

The windows lining the Great Hall burst open, curtains of rain streaming in and collecting in the dips in the floor. A few storm-ridden owls managed to fly into the Hall. One, a brown tawny, settled in front of Harry's plate, dripping water into his scrambled eggs. Harry took the soggy letter tied around the owl's leg and let the owl eat what remained of his soaked breakfast.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"A letter from Fred and George."

Harry flattened the letter in the center of the table so the whole group could see what it said.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to invite you to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for a Fabulous Day Full of Pranks, Tricks, and Treats plus a special surprise guest! The blessed event will be on Halloween. We insist you come! Ignore this invitation at your own risk.....

Your associates,

Fred and George Weasley  
  


"How come they didn't personally invite me!" Ron huffed.

"You didn't give them a thousand galleons," Ginny reminded him.

"True."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione shot up from her seat, "We're going to be late for Transfiguration!"

"We've got fifteen minutes--."

"I promised Professor McGonagall we'd be there early!" 

Hermione grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Why did you --."

They were gone.

Ron shook his head, "She is so bossy."  
  
________________________________________________________ 

* * *

Harry was kicked out of the library that afternoon because he had stubbed his toe on the table leg and screamed. Now he was trying to do homework with his back to the stair banister while Ron dully listened to the conversations below with his Extendable Ears. 

"A girl hasn't come by in ten minutes," Ron complained, "Where are they? Why do they do this?"

Harry grunted in response and forcefully flicked through the pages of his potions book. A few moments later Ron gasped and seized Harry's forearm.

"Ron! What -- ."

"Take an ear, take an ear, take an ear," Ron urged quickly, tugging a fleshy bulb from his right ear and shoving it into Harry's ear.

"Ow!"

"Listen," Ron clasped a hand over Harry's mouth.

Harry could hear a male voice from below the stairs. It sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"Yeah -- so anyway, I'm thinking about asking Granger to Hogsmeade on 

Halloween -- ."

Another male voice, "-- Granger. Isn't she that smart Gryffindor? Bushy hair, annoying smile?"

"Her smile isn't annoying. You've no taste, Henry. You're so hypocritical. You pointed her out last week and was saying how attractive she is -- ."

Harry pulled the Extendable Ear out. Ron, too, removed his Extendable Ear. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Who was that?" Harry asked, breaking the stunned silence.

"Christopher Stone," Ron answered, weakly.

"Well, he's --."

"Crazy."

"Hermione's not -- ."

"Noooo -- ."

"That's what I thought."

They sat in more silence.

"Let's go check on her." 

"Good idea."  
  
____________________________________________________ 

* * *

Hermione was safely oblivious, wrapped in a jacket by the Gryffindor fire, comfortably reading a book before dinner. 

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said, sitting on her left.

"How are you?" Harry asked, sitting on her right.

"Er...fine. Do you two need something?" 

"No."

"Just hanging out before dinner."

An impressionable third year boy walked by the fireplace.

"Keep your distance, young man!" Ron bellowed, snatching Hermione's book and throwing it at the terrified boy.

"What is wrong with you!" Hermione shoved Ron in the chest.

Ron doubled over, then struggled to catch his breath for the next few minutes.

"I think," Ron wheezed, "she'll be" -- wheeze -- "all right" -- wheeze.

Hermione glared at Harry, "What is he talking about!"

Harry looked straight at her, "I'm famished. C'mon Ron, let's get some dinner."

They left.

"What's wrong with them!" Hermione stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, receiving the full attention of the common room.  
  


A/N: Please review! Thanks for reading!  
  



	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc., etc. belong to J.K.Rowling  
  


Chapter Five -  
  


It was two o'clock on a Tuesday morning. Hermione was fast asleep in a chair in a far corner of the common room, but Harry was still pouring over some of Tonks's Defense books. He was beginning to think that he and Hermione shouldn't have performed their best during their first private lesson with Tonks. She was really laying the work on them. His assignment for tonight was to make a complete list of curses that had been admitted into fair dueling in the past century. Tonks must have known that Hogwarts did not have the complete list written out in one place. 

Harry was surprised to hear the portrait creak and a figure slip in through the portrait hole. It was Ginny, sneaking in at two in the morning. She didn't seem to notice Harry tucked behind his stacks of parchments and books, and she made her way to the girls' staircase. Harry cleared his throat. Ginny jumped.

"Harry! You scared me!" she whispered loudly.

Harry shushed her and pointed to a slumbering Hermione in the corner.

"Why are you coming in so late?" he asked, moving out from behind his work table.

"Is that really any of your business?" Ginny positioned her hands on her hips.

"Oh, well...not really...I just thought I'd check," Harry mumbled. He felt a little silly for trying to interrogate her.

Ginny sighed, "Don't worry about it, Harry. I just lost time patrolling."

"Lost time patrolling? How can you -- sorry, it shouldn't matter. I'm just going to go to bed now," Harry made his way to the boys' staircase.

"Wait," Ginny said in a small voice, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry paused at the foot of the stairs. Why not, he was too tired to resist, "Sure."

He and Ginny took a seat on one of the sofas facing the fireplace.

"Harry, I don't know if I can handle it," Ginny rested her head against her knees.

"Handle what?" Harry asked, confused.

"Dumbledore asked to see me tonight while I was patrolling. He asked if I would mind er...spending time with Malfoy during prefect duties," Ginny winced.

"Why?"

"He didn't say much. All he said was that Malfoy needed my influence or something like that. What could I say? I agreed, but he wants us to patrol three nights a week - which is a lot. I don't want to spend that much time with Malfoy," Ginny said.

"I understand. I think I'd have to influence Dumbledore with a spell if he asked me to spend three nights of my week with Malfoy," Harry replied.

"What should I do?" Ginny asked, looking hopefully at Harry.

"I don't know, Gin," Harry mumbled, smothering a yawn with the back of his hand.

Harry caught Ginny looking at him strangely, but it went away.

"I just can't go to Dumbledore and tell him no. I can't," Ginny gazed forlornly into the fire.

"Look, just do your best to put up with Malfoy. Maybe you won't even have to interact with each other much, after all."

Ginny nodded heavily.

"But listen to me, if Malfoy does anything to you or makes you the slightest bit angry, come to me and I'll curse him to dust, got it?"

Ginny giggled, "Yeah, okay. I'll keep you informed. Now," she stood up and yawned, "I'm going to go get some sleep. Want me to take Hermione?"

Harry checked the corner and saw that Hermione was still sleeping.

"No, just leave her. She'll be fine. I'll put a book in her lap and turn it to the last page so that when she wakes up she'll at least feel she accomplished something tonight -- instead of sleeping through our homework," Harry added in mock bitterness.

"You two," Ginny muttered, disappearing up the spiral staircase.  
  


* * *

___________________________________________________________   
  


"How did you sleep last night?" Harry asked Hermione as she ran into the potions room a moment before the bell.

"How come you let me fall asleep in that chair! I wanted to help with our assignment for Tonks! And I know good and well I did not read that book. How can I be so lethargic?" Hermione despaired while neatly organizing her potions workstation.

"You missed the Ginny drama," Harry updated her.

"What happened?"

"Dumbledore's making her patrol with Malfoy."

Hermione remained stooped over the floor, forgetting to set down the solid pewter cauldron she was holding, "Why?"

"We don't know. Something about how Malfoy needs her influence," Harry rolled his eyes and examined the Slytherin half of the room. Malfoy was in their number, guffawing over some crude Slytherin joke.

"Oh, well that makes sense," Hermione positioned the cauldron.

"Makes sense? How so? Why should Ginny have to suffer through that twisted -- ."

"Dumbledore's just trying to change Malfoy. He's not punishing Ginny. He obviously thinks that someone like Ginny will be a good influence on Malfoy, make Malfoy consider the dark choices he must be faced with." 

"You're too sensible. Why can't you just be mad?" Harry said, exasperated. 

"I've no reason to be," Hermione poked her nose in the air.

Harry could feel Snape enter the room and became silent.  
  
______________________________________________________________

* * *

Harry ran into Lupin on his way to Tonks's third year Defense class. 

"You still here?" Harry asked.

"Glad to see me, eh?" Lupin smiled.

"I didn't mean it like that," Harry apologized.

"I know. I leave to tonight, but Tonks asked me to teach the boggart lesson before I go," Lupin explained, holding the door open for Harry.

"Two of my favorite guys!" Harry and Lupin heard Tonks call, but she wasn't in sight.

"Tonks, where are you?" Lupin asked, examining the Defense room.

"Hey, what's this?" Harry asked, picking up a jar of what looked like peanut butter.

"No, Harry! Don't pick that up!"

"Tonks - there she is," Lupin pointed to a ceiling beam over which Tonks was sprawled, hiding her face.

"What are you doing up there?" Harry inquired, carefully placing the strange jar back on its desk. "Protecting myself."

"From what, pray tell?" Lupin said in a voice of mocked concern.

The jar on the table beside Harry trembled. Tonks squealed and nearly fell off her beam.

"The boggart got out of its cupboard," she wailed through her hands, "and I...ended up here."

Harry and Lupin leaned over the jar in inspection.

"You're afraid of peanut butter?" Lupin concluded.

Tonks hugged the ceiling beam tightly, "There's a story -- I promise. You see -- ."

Harry didn't get to hear Tonks's story because Lupin collapsed into a desk, clutching his aching side from waves of laughter, "Peanut butter! You're an auror for crying -- ."

"Just shut-up and put it back in the cupboard!" Tonks yelled angrily.

Harry took the shaking jar and placed it in the cupboard tucked behind Tonks's desk.

"All's clear," Harry called.

Tonks levitated down from the ceiling beam, and brushed off her robes. Lupin's gales of laughter were still ringing against the walls.

"You wanna join the boggart!" Tonks whipped her wand from her robes and pointed it at Lupin's heart.

Lupin tried to repress his laughter -- to no avail. Sparks were emitted from the tip of Tonks's wand. 

"I don't think killing Remus is the answer, Tonks," Harry, trying his best to maintain a straight face, suggested.

"No - ," Lupin was tearing, "but perhaps a self-help group --."

Tonks burned with embarrassment and prodded her wand deeper into Lupin's robes. A high pitched shriek was heard from the doorway. Harry turned to see a horrified third year gasp and run from the room, screaming, "Teacher fight! Teacher fight!"

Lupin swallowed another round of laughter.

"You see" -- Tonks slapped Remus on the shoulder with her wand -- "what you did, you" -- smack -- "big, guffawing" -- smack -- "IDIOT!"

Tonks then ran after the child.

Remus and Harry remained still then looked at each other, submitting to laughter.  
  


_____________________________________________________________________________  
  


"Excellent work!" Lupin cried into the circle of third years.

Tonks's boggart had been removed from its cupboard for the lesson, and the students had been trying to banish the creature for ten solid minutes. Harry was starting to think it a lost cause.

"Riddikulus!" a round-faced boy screeched, pointing his wand at a bloody limb.

The boggart transformed into a slimy lizard.

"Think you'd be okay if it transformed into a dementor?" Lupin whispered to Harry.

"Oh, sure," Harry assured him, stepping into the circle.

"Riddikulus!" Harry sighed quietly, drawing a happy memory to mind. 

The lizard cracked, but instead of a dementor, the boggart transformed into a burgundy curtain, flapping threateningly as if stuck in a wind storm. No one moved. No one tried to change the boggart. Each person was entranced by the flapping curtain, Harry Potter's great fear.

Lupin banished the boggart.

"You're afraid of the Gryffindor shower curtains!" one boy roared.

Harry swallowed hard and forced himself to smile serenely at the boy, "Well...you never know what's on the other side."

Tonks and Lupin looked at each other darkly.  
  


_____________________________________________________________________________  
  


Professor McGonagall cornered Harry on his way to the library that evening. She brusquely handed him a sealed envelope, patted him on the back, and rushed away. Harry opened the envelope which read: Congratulations Mr. Potter. You have been selected for the position of captain on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. It is advisable that you begin replacing graduated members of your team. Have a good evening! Sincerely, Prof. Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House.  
  


A/N: I know it's a short chapter, but that's where I wanted to end it. Thanks for reading! Please Review! God bless.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling owns all characters, settings, etc.  
  


Chapter Six -  
  


Everything was black. Naturally, he was asleep. Harry was treading through one of the deeper stages of sleep. There was a slight stir beside him. He could heard a thrashing sound, then a rip.

"POTTER!"

Ron ripped open the curtains to Harry's four poster and grabbed Harry by the arm.

"What! What!" Harry shook off Ron's grip and made a grab for his glasses.

"Do you hear that?"

A cold swept between them. Harry sat still, listening. There was a girl's voice, screaming tortuously. Harry fell out of his bed, pulled himself up and took after Ron who was on his way down to the common room. Before they reached the bottom of the staircase, they could hear her.

They clutched the banister and swung themselves around on the last step. And they could see her. Four girls, their hair askew, their robes hastily shoved over them, were carrying her. Hermione was still screaming, screaming for Harry and Ron, screaming about Voldemort.

"HE'S HERE! HERE!"

The girls looked helplessly at Harry, who shook his head to signal that Voldemort was not within the walls of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron took Hermione and laid her in a chair, holding her down as she tried to tell them what happened..

"Someone -- someone," she gasped for air, fiercely shutting her eyes to suppress tears, "tried to put the Im-imperious curse on me! And I tried to fight it - you know," gasp, "like you can...so easily, Harry," gasp, "and I heard a man's voice - I think it may have been," gasp, "V-voldemort!"

She began to take long, slow breaths, leaning back in the chair and carefully shutting her eyes.

"I'm - so tired."

"Hermione -- ."

"If either of you leave, I'll kill you. I promise."

Her figure relaxed.

"Make him go away...Harry, make him...." She fell asleep.

Harry slumped into an adjacent chair.

"What was that!" Ron demanded, looking horrified at Hermione.

"You heard her," Harry mumbled.

"You don't really think that Voldemort tried to put the Imperious curse on her, do you? I mean, she stresses a lot. That's what it was - stress."

Harry looked at Hermione who was trembling slightly in her sleep.

"I think, Ron, we're going to have to assume it was Voldemort."

"But she acted so crazy - and the screaming," Ron whispered, fingering a lock of Hermione's bushy hair.

"She didn't act crazy. She had just...never felt him before."  
  


* * *

  


Hermione was perfectly normal the next morning. However, she couldn't remember what Voldemort had been instructing her to do, which drove her mad. Harry, afraid that she would lock herself up in the library, making a list of all known commands, dragged her out to the quidditch pitch where he was holding try-outs.

The Gryffindor team had been delivered a big blow. Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia had all graduated the previous year (well, Fred and George had just left), leaving Harry and Ron. And on this particular day, neither Harry nor Ron were in very good moods.

"Harry, do you realize we've only got eight people sitting out here!" Ron hissed as they approached the stands.

"Well, five of them will just have to be good," Harry retorted.

Harry and Ron flew to the stands, Harry gripping a clipboard with the sign-up sheets.

"Okay, welcome to the Gryffindor team try-outs. I'm Harry Potter, for those of you who don't know me, I'm -- well, skip that part. Er...when I call your name, fly over to me so I can inspect your broom. Randy Santurn -- ."

A meek second-year flew over to Harry and Ron, nearly falling off his broom on the journey over.

Ron sneered as the boy halted, "Harry, he's the size of a garden gnome! He's smaller than you! He couldn't even be seeker -- ."

"I'm ignoring that," Harry muttered, "let's see Comet Two-Sixty...."

Brandy Riggs: "So, your grandmother taught you to fly, huh?"

"Ron!"

Joseph Belty: "I don't think you understand. The objective is to go UP!"

"He wasn't that bad...."

Freddy Sneddy: "His name....it's....he's out. No way is he playing for us. Out."

"It's just a name."

"If your name were Freddy Sneddy and someone put you on a broomstick fifty feet in the air...what would you do?"

"Jump."

"Uh-huh."

Justine Campbell: "Maybe if we set that matchstick of a broom on fire, the fireflies would have a mother ship."

"That was the worst joke I've ever heard."

Edward Candin: "You must have missed that whole lesson on flying...I crack myself up...Harry, you okay? Harry, stop hitting yourself with the broom. Harry!"

Harry checked the last name on the clipboard, "Kathryn Embers?"

A small, alert girl stood up from her seat in the stands and waved to Harry.

"It says here that you're a first year?"

The girl nodded fervently.

"Well, I'm afraid that first years can't play on house teams, but thanks for coming. Oh, and you're welcome to stay and watch the try-outs."

"Okay," she called, sitting down dejectedly.

"Hey, where's the eighth person!" Ron scanned the stands.

"I think you accidently counted Hermione," Harry pointed out a figure, hunched over a book.

Hermione happened to look up and wave.

"You know, Harry, Hermione might not be such a bad idea," Ron clapped his hands together, "That's it! Hey, Hermione!"

"What!" she yelled back.

"How would you like to play quidditch!"

Hermione stood abruptly and gathered her things.

"See, she's really wants to play!" Ron exclaimed.

"She's leaving, Ron," Harry pointed to Hermione, who was racing from the stands and back to the castle.

Three players left the pitch after half an hour of rotations, including Ron who had to serve detention with McGonagall for trying out passwords on the Ravenclaw portrait. Harry didn't want a single one of the people who showed up to play for Gryffindor but decided to continue rotations.

"Can I try just one!" Kathryn Embers called from the stands, holding her broom hopefully.

"But you -- you're a first -- ah, come on, then!" Harry summoned another quaffle from the box and directed Kathryn to a position. He was ready for this nightmare to be over....

"Whoa -- that -- was -- astounding!" Harry swiped his fist through the air to accentuate his astonishment.

Kathryn Embers had scored seven out of seven times with Harry serving as goalie, and even though Harry wasn't known for his blocking abilities, it was still a tough match for Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. This girl was outstanding.

"You're -- Ron wouldn't even be able to invent something wrong! You've got the position!" Harry flew over to Kathryn, the actual aspiring players forgotten.

Kathryn caught the quaffle and stared dumbly at Harry, "But you said that first years -- ."

"Yeah, well, even if I have to hug Snape to get you on this team, I'll do it. You start measuring yourself for Gryffindor robes!"

"Deal."

"Great. Pack up everyone. Time for dinner," Harry flew his broom in loops back to the pitch.

"Uh, Harry...sir, who made the team?" Freddy Sneddy yelled.

Oh. He had forgotten the other wretched players.

"This matter takes a great amount of consideration. I'll let you know after I pull your names from the...official hat. Er...good job."  
  


* * *

  


Harry found Hermione tucked in the corner of the library...making a list.

"I told you not to do that," reminded Harry as he pulled up a chair and extracted his homework from his bag.

"If you had been momentarily possessed by Voldemort, you would be making a list too," Hermione sniffed.

She added 'ordered me to kill Harry' to her list.

"I have been possessed by Voldemort, and I still didn't make a list."

"That makes you an irresponsible victim," Hermione smiled.

She added 'ordered me to torture Harry' to her list.

Ten minutes into this routine, Harry, deciding to take a study break, got up to place a book back on its shelf. While loitering by the Transfiguration books and trying to come up with a suitable come back for Hermione's last remark (a goal that would doubtfully be achieved), he ran into Percy Weasley.

"Hey, Percy," Harry muttered, moving on in order to avoid questions or a lecture.

It wasn't until he had returned to the table where Hermione was working that it occurred to him that Percy Weasley no longer attended Hogwarts and was a current enemy of the Order.

"Hermione," Harry hissed, "I just saw Percy."

"That's nice, Harry," Hermione continued writing.

Harry waited.

"Percy?" Hermione's head shot up, "You mean Percy Weasley?"

"Yes."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"How should I know?"

"Do Ron and Ginny know?"

"Again -- ."

"This is going to be so awkward," Hermione moaned.

"Well --. "

"I bet he's here snooping for the ministry!"

"Didn't they -- ."

"Mind you, he won't be teaching. Dumbledore wouldn't have any part of that."

"I did hear him say something at the trial -- ."

"That's what it is. He's an ear for the ministry. So degrading."

"You done?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Unless you have anything to add."

"Guess not."  
  


______________________________________________________________________________  
  


Harry found out later from Ginny that Percy was indeed an ear for the ministry, and she only knew that because Arthur had investigated it at work. Percy wouldn't have an actual position though. It was more like he was an observer. Dumbledore was being careful to exclude him from important meetings and warn the teachers of Percy's purpose. Unfortunately, Dumbledore did not think it a good idea to ignore the ministry's requests and send Percy away.

Ron had been too mad to talk about it. Ron had been too mad to do lots of things. Ron had been too mad to remember to cork his bottle of spiders when Percy slipped into the potions room. Ron had been too mad to immediately seek medical aid when he got bitten by a couple of the spiders from when Percy slipped into the potions room. And now Ron was too delirious due to the tonic Madam Pomfrey had finally shoved down his throat to think coherently about it.

"He'll be back to normal in a day or two," Madam Pomfrey assured Harry and Hermione as they helped Ron out of the hospital wing.

"Ha-harry," Ron said drunkenly, "I've been a'meaning to tell you...when we were six year...seven...I dunno...dusn't matter...I put ants in...your shirt...no, your pants...and tha's why you can't get a date...mate."

Harry looked gravely at Hermione, "So that's why the girls aren't attracted to me?"

Hermione sputtered for a moment, "What -- are -- no --."

"I was joking," Harry laughed.

Ron slipped from their grasp, and Harry had to pry him up from the floor under the arms.

"See, mate...even she turn'd you down," Ron informed him.  
  


A/N: What will happen??? Anyway, thanks for reading! Please, please review! God bless.  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. J.K. Rowling owns the characters, settings, etc.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
A seething Ginny stormed by Harry and Hermione's transfiguration class Monday  
  
morning, traipsing after Draco Malfoy.   
  
"You absolute PRAT!" Harry heard Ginny yell after a laughing Malfoy before Professor  
  
McGonagall stepped into the corridor to tell them to be quiet.  
  
"Poor Ginny," Hermione mumbled, transforming her squirrel back into a teapot.  
  
"She and Malfoy not getting along?" Harry smiled just as screams of 'Malfoy, you  
  
blasted liar!' rose over McGonagall's threats.  
  
"She can't stand him," Hermione whispered, "and Dumbledore keeps upping the number  
  
of prefect duties that they have to help each other with. At first I thought that his idea for helping  
  
Malfoy might work, but I think it's just going to get Ginny locked away for attempted murder."  
  
Harry collected both their teapots to take back to the cabinet, "You don't think that  
  
Malfoy would ever hurt her or anything, do you? Because if he ever tries something on her, I'm  
  
going to ."   
  
"I don't think Dumbledore would put Ginny in any danger," Hermione affirmed.  
  
A crack! resounded in the corridor. Harry and Hermione ran out of the classroom just in  
  
time to see a crow fluttering madly within the corridor.   
  
"Miss Weasley! Twenty points from Gryffindor for transfiguring a student!" Professor  
  
McGonagall snapped, "Now, Mr. Malfoy if you would kindly land on the floor so I could  
  
transfigure you back ."   
  
Harry muttered the counter spell under his breath, and Malfoy fell five feet to the floor.   
  
"Oh, Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall rushed over to the crumpled boy, "Are you all  
  
right?"  
  
Harry tugged Hermione's sleeve and directed her back to the room, after having winked  
  
at Ginny.  
  
"Teach him to eat crow," she told them later.  
  
(Okay, FF.net is not letting me use lines...so scene change)  
  
That Friday was Halloween, the day Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Luna were  
  
planning to sneak off to Fred and George's in Hogsmeade for their party. Wednesday afternoon,  
  
however, threatened to change their plans to Ron's distaste.   
  
Harry and Ron had been cleaning out the Gryffindor locker rooms in preparation for the  
  
upcoming quidditch season, and as they made their way back to the castle, Ron grabbed Harry by  
  
the forearm again and pulled him behind the broom shed.  
  
"What are you ."   
  
"Christopher Stone," Ron growled.  
  
Harry peered from behind the shed to see a small figure resembling Hermione and a  
  
slightly larger figure resembling Christopher Stone. Harry returned behind the shed where Ron  
  
was pacing.  
  
"And?" Harry demanded.  
  
"Don't you see he's asking her to go to Hogsmeade with him on Halloween!" Ron  
  
snarled.  
  
Harry breathed in heavily and tried to rationalize the situation for Ron,"But Friday isn't a  
  
Hogsmeade day. Remember, we're sneaking there. Stone is not asking her anywhere, he's just  
  
talking to her. It's a new concept we guys are trying!"  
  
"Stone could be suggesting they sneak away! Students do it all the time! We can't let her  
  
rendezvous to Hogsmeade with that jerk," Ron resumed pacing.  
  
"We don't know that he's a jerk. Besides, Hermione's got a right to date whoever she  
  
wants. And why do you care?" Harry pointed accusingly at Ron, who stopped pacing.  
  
"I know! Go out there and pretend like you just happened to see them and came over.   
  
You're intimidating, right? Maybe Stone will be scared away and ."  
  
"Ron, he's five inches and fifty pounds larger than I am. Who's going to be  
  
intimidated?"  
  
Ron pushed Harry out from behind the shed, "Go!"  
  
Harry scrambled back behind the shed and proceeded to shove Ron from its cover.  
  
Thirty yards away, Hermione allowed her concentration to roam. She assumed Stone was  
  
still talking to her, but his philosophy on small talk was limited, and she heard enough about  
  
quidditch from Harry and Ron. Her eyes scanned the quidditch pitch and landed on the broom  
  
shed. Blinking furiously, she convinced herself that she did indeed see Harry fall from behind  
  
the shed then return behind the building. Another ten seconds of Stone's droning, and she saw  
  
Ron jetting forward, then bulldozing back behind the shed. Harry, Ron, Harry, Ron...the cycle  
  
continued.   
  
"Okay, we'll both go!" Harry panted.  
  
"And that's when, at the age of two, I devoted myself to Ireland's team," Stone declared  
  
heartily.   
  
"Uh-huh," Hermione nodded, watching as Harry and Ron walked speedily toward her and  
  
Stone.  
  
They arrived out of breath and beat red.   
  
"Hey," Ron grunted.  
  
"Hey," Harry grumbled.  
  
"Passing by," Ron grunted.  
  
"On our way back to the castle," Harry grumbled.  
  
"Just thought we'd say hey," Ron grunted.  
  
"Hey," Harry grumbled.  
  
Hermione looked to Christopher, who looked...well, irritated, "Um..well, I've forgotten  
  
that...er...I have pressing matters to take up with....my, um, friends here."   
  
Hermione inched away from Stone, and the three ran back to the castle.  
  
(Scene Change!)  
  
Hermione slammed down her Potions book, "For the hundredth time, Ron! Christopher  
  
Stone did NOT invite me to what did you say rendezvous to Hogsmeade with him!"  
  
"He said he was going to!" Ron replied.  
  
Harry reached slowly for a piece of parchment next to Hermione's Potion's book, but  
  
alas, she picked up the book and slammed it down again.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"And when, pray tell, Ronald, did he tell you this!"  
  
"Ow."  
  
"He I heard in the hall and it was FINE! I WAS USING THE EXTENDABLE  
  
EARS!"  
  
"Ow. Ow."  
  
Hermione snatched the Potions book again. Harry recovered his crippled hand and held it  
  
carefully in his lap. SLAM!  
  
"I hate those things!" Hermione cried, "And it's none of your business if a boy asks me  
  
on a date anyway!"  
  
"Well, if, if" Ron sputtered, "I just thought since I heard it and it ."  
  
"Ow, ow, ow!"  
  
"HARRY, SHUT-UP!" they both screamed.  
  
The three fell silent, then Hermione sharply inhaled a breath, "Did you write what he said  
  
on your board?"  
  
Ron stared at the floor.  
  
"Did you write what he said on YOUR STUPID BOARD!"  
  
More staring at the floor.  
  
Hermione jerked her wand from her robes and ran to the boy's staircase.   
  
"Hermione what are you doing!"  
  
Hermione ran up the boy's staircase.  
  
"ARGH!"  
  
Ron grabbed Harry by his crippled hand and dragged him up the stairs. The fifth year  
  
boy's door slammed shut, and Ron wrenched at the knob until the door opened.  
  
"Hermione don't."  
  
Hermione tapped the massive board that was nearly covered, and all of the writing  
  
disappeared.   
  
"HERMIONE!"  
  
"You can start over," she growled, marching to the door, "Oh, and here's your first  
  
opinion: Hermione Granger thinks Ron Weasley's head is too large for the rest of his body and  
  
his nose is particularly bulbous!"  
  
Harry snickered.  
  
Ron kicked the bed post.  
  
"See you at Fred and George's later!" they heard Hermione call sardonically from the  
  
spiral staircase.  
  
(Scene Change!)  
  
Harry pulled Ron down the stairs late that afternoon to meet Ginny and Hermione in the  
  
common room.   
  
"I hate her, Harry," Ron muttered under his breath.  
  
"No, you don't," Harry snapped, "Now, c'mon. It's not like you and Hermione don't  
  
have a row everyday. Just forget about it."  
  
Ginny waved from the common room floor. She had Colin's camera around her neck,  
  
and Harry assumed it was to take pictures of Fred and George's store.   
  
"How are we getting there?" Hermione asked, avoiding eye contact with Ron.  
  
"Well...," Harry smiled, "Ginny and I are taking the route under the Whomping Willow,  
  
and you and Ron are taking the passage into Honeydukes."  
  
Ron and Hermione glared.  
  
"If either group doesn't show up at the store, then the other pair will know that Filch has  
  
abducted them and will return immediately to save them from unknown horrors, deal?"   
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
Harry was a little nervous about taking the passage through the Shrieking Shack. He was  
  
afraid that it would remind him too strongly of Sirius, and he had done his best not to think about  
  
Sirius. He still had nightmares sometimes. Sirius would fall through the curtain. Then he'd  
  
return and fall. Return and fall. Harry would watch Sirius die over and over. Once he and Ginny  
  
reached the Whomping Willow, Harry instructed her to find a long stick while he searched for  
  
the knob on the trunk. After some toil and five snapped sticks, they immobilized the tree and  
  
began crawling through the passageway.  
  
"So, is this where Ron was dragged through with his broken leg?" Ginny asked quietly.   
  
"Yeah," Harry sighed.  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
Harry really didn't feel like telling the story, "Um...we found Sirius, heard the truth,  
  
nearly got killed by dementors, went back in time, set him free, and that's the end."  
  
"Ah," Ginny looked sorry she had asked.  
  
"Didn't Ron ever tell you?"  
  
"Well, not really. He hasn't told me much of what happened before...hm...your fourth  
  
year."  
  
Harry crawled out of the underground passageway into the shack. Then he helped Ginny  
  
through.   
  
"I'll tell you some stories sometime," Harry offered.  
  
"Thanks," Ginny smiled.  
  
(Scene Change!)  
  
They met with Ron and Hermione who were both dusty and smelled like candy on the  
  
road to the Three Broomsticks and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.  
  
"Ron ran into the side of the tunnel," Hermione told Harry gleefully.   
  
"It was hard to see," Ron said defensively.   
  
"I just couldn't...find my wand...." Hermione trailed off.  
  
They turned a corner to see a crowed of a hundred packed into the narrow street in front  
  
of Fred and George's store. As they moved closer to the front they could see a platform hovering  
  
in the center of the crowd. Fred and George were performing. Harry saw George toss Fred a  
  
gumball. Fred smacked the gum atrociously so that the entire audience saw what he was doing,  
  
and as he chewed, his mouth grew larger and larger until his smile literally reached his eyes and  
  
his lower lip covered his chin. He then blew a giant bubble which popped and showered his  
  
enormous mouth with chips of hard candy. George gazed into the crowed as Fred demonstrated  
  
the new product, and as Fred's mouth was reducing in size, George waved to Ron, Hermione,  
  
Harry and Ginny and motioned for them to make their way to the front.   
  
The four shoved their way through the excited crowd, mostly filled with small children  
  
demanding the new product. Fred saw them as they reached the tip of the stage and began  
  
yelling into the crowd.  
  
"And now ladies and gents HEY COULD I HAVE EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION!   
  
thanks ."  
  
" We would like to introduce our special guest speaker ." George interjected.  
  
" the one and only, the stupendous, the fabulous, the ."  
  
" the one that needs no introduction, especially a blasted long one HARRY  
  
POTTER!"  
  
Fred and George looked expectantly at Harry and signaled to a rope ladder that he could  
  
climb to get on stage. The crowed erupted with cheers and clumps of people surrounding Harry  
  
and his friends began to yell to the back "He's up here! He's really here!"   
  
Harry was going to kill Fred and George. He would torture them by making them watch  
  
their store burn to the ground, and then he would find a really angry hippogriff and the rest, the  
  
rest would be legend.  
  
Harry shook his head and vehemently signaled that he would in no way get on that stage.   
  
He could feel Ron beside him glaring up at his brothers, and Hermione was dancing around  
  
nervously, probably hoping Harry wouldn't explode and that people in the crowd wouldn't begin  
  
to inflate and fly off.   
  
"C'mon, Harry, mate!" Fred and George called.  
  
"He's a little shy," George informed the audience.  
  
Forget the hippogriff. It was going to take a stampede of thestrals. People in the crowd  
  
were now pushing Harry to the stage. He angrily climbed the rope ladder.  
  
"Ah, he's come to join us!" Fred beamed.  
  
The crowd jumped and screamed and clapped.   
  
"Why didn't you ask me first?" Harry growled under his breath.  
  
"One, you would never have agreed to it that way," Fred said.  
  
"And two, Wallace the Wild cancelled on us yesterday," George said in remaining  
  
contempt.  
  
"Just say something," Fred silenced the crowd.  
  
Much like his first day of instructing Tonks's DADA class, Harry stared into his audience  
  
for an unusually long amount of time. In fact, he almost forgot he was on stage because he  
  
became so taken with what appeared to be an injured bird in the distance.   
  
"Can he speak!" someone called out.  
  
"Last time we checked," George laughed, prodding Harry forcefully in the back.  
  
"Er..." Harry remarked intelligently, "Fred and George have a pretty good store here,  
  
don't they?"   
  
The audience clapped, and Harry watched the injured bird fly in closer. He saw  
  
Hermione look in the direction of his line of vision from the corner of his eye. He could also tell  
  
that she was tapping Ron or Ginny (red hair, hard to tell which one from peripheral vision) and  
  
pointing. The bird was now swooping between members of the audience. It appeared to be flying  
  
on its side and navigating with its long, pointy beak. The clapping and hooting died down, and  
  
Harry, lost for something else to say, remained silent. The bird increased its speed suddenly, and  
  
before Harry had a chance to cry out, the bird pummeled into a woman and pierced her in the  
  
back with its beak.   
  
The woman fell to the ground. The crowd backed away, leaving her alone in the center.   
  
The bird fluttered its single, strange, centered wing until it pried itself from the woman. It then  
  
circled threateningly over the crowd. Hermione grabbed Ron and Ginny by the wrist and pulled  
  
them under the stage. Harry looked to the woman, who was surely dead, then to the foreboding  
  
creature that hung above them.  
  
No one moved. Harry cautiously reached for his wand, not daring to move too much.   
  
Once he had a firm grasp on the wand through his cloak, he ripped the wand out, and bellowed a  
  
spell that sent a great ball of flame racing toward the bird. Perfect aim. The torched bird fell,  
  
hitting an old man on the shoulder. He screamed and jumped back, but before the bird hit the  
  
ground, it was gone. There were no charred remains or a smell of burning feathers. It was  
  
just...gone.  
  
All heads turned to Harry Potter who was looking mournfully at the woman lying face  
  
down in the street.  
  
A/N: I promise my chapters will begin to get longer and more exciting. In the first few, I've just  
  
been setting stuff up, but now things are going to start happening. Harry's sixth year won't be  
  
any easier than the others... I'll update soon, probably within the next day or so. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. Some things just aren't fair.

Chapter Eight!

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny sullenly returned to Hogwarts where the Halloween feast was about to commence. As they crawled through the slit between the statue of the witch and the Honeyduke's passage, the last cluster of students were making their way to the Great Hall.

"I don't feel much like eating," Harry told the others, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his robes.

"We need to talk," Hermione said darkly.

Harry sighed, and Ron moaned with frustration (even wild attacks from an evil bird could subdue his hunger.) Minutes later they were sitting on Ron's four-poster, crowded around a plate of sandwiches that Hermione had materialized.

"Harry, I've never come across birds like that in my readings. I don't...I don't even know if they are birds. All I know is that it was definitely evil because -- didn't you notice that it just disappeared? It didn't leave any remains. Only evil creatures die without leaving remains. But that's not important right now. Did you recognize the woman that the bird attacked?" Hermione asked, almost desperately.

"No, I've never seen her before," Harry answered, picking at the crust of his sandwich.

Ginny gasped, "Was...was that really Madeleine McGonagall!"

Bites of sandwich fell from Ron's mouth, "McGonagall's _sister?_"

Hermione nodded numbly.

"I didn't know she had a sister," Harry admitted.

"She doesn't mention her," Hermione replied mysteriously.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny were now leaning in closely with anticipation. Hermione returned to her sandwich. Ron rolled his eyes, "Finish the story, now!"

Hermione sighed, "Okay. Simplest way to put it...Madeleine McGonagall had been a member of the Order, the first time. And when your parents, Harry, were joining, she recommended that Peter Pettigrew not join with them."

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted, "Pettigrew..._that rat_...tried to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you," Hermione said, irritably, "at the beginning. Before he probably even thought about turning to Voldemort. In fact, I know he hadn't thought about. Because, you see, at Madeleine's insistence, Dumbledore denied Peter a place in the Order. I'm sure he had other reasons than that, but that's the story anyway. Well, after Peter was refused, Madeleine went to him, and she...well...she set arrangements for him to work for Arthur Hemmings. I think he was supposed to make maps and stuff, I can't remember. But Hemmings was a Voldemort sympathizer, and Madeleine knew it. Death eaters actually met at his home several times. It was close to London, but very isolated, so it was perfect. Madeleine knew this too. As you can imagine, the right connections fell into place, and Peter was put on the path that led to the betrayal of your parents. And that, is why Professor McGonagall never speaks of her sister."

Ron's face was scrunched in confusion, "So, what did they do to her? I mean, she betrayed the Order."

"Dumbledore didn't find out until after Harry stopped Voldemort and the Order was dispersed. McGonagall didn't find out until our fourth year. I know because...well, it was late, and the library was closed, but I couldn't study in the common room because of a quidditch party. So, I was in an empty classroom, and I heard McGonagall shouting. I hid, and they came in. Seems her sister had disappeared as the Order was dispersing, and they had thought she was dead. But she came back our fourth year, and Dumbledore finally told Professor McGonagall. They think she was looking for Voldemort. Traitor the whole time."

Harry was gaping, "Why did you never tell me?"

"Well, first off, I didn't know all about the Order. So, I was confused. I mean, I knew there had been an allegiance, but the conversation never really made sense to me until that summer we spent at Grimmauld Place. Then you showed up so angry. I just never told you."

Harry nodded, "So, why is it important that that bird...thing...attacked Madeleine McGonagall?"

"I think Voldemort may be sending you another message."

There was silence.

Finally, Harry spoke, "Like when he attacked Godric's Hollow?"

"Yeah," Hermione said thoughtfully, "it's almost like he's playing everything backwards. Reminding you of where your parents died, then how they were betrayed, and I don't know what came before that."

Ron cursed softly, "He's trying to torture you."

Ginny whimpered and patted Harry comfortingly on the arm. To everyone's surprise, Harry chuckled, "What will he think of next?"

(scene change --- I'm really upset that it will not let me put up dashes --- if you have suggestions, please let me know )

A tawny owl came to the fifth year boys' window that night. It tapped anxiously and hooted until Harry grudgingly got out of bed. A short note was tied to its leg which Harry ripped off rather roughly. It read:

_Harry, I need to see you Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, and Miss Weasley in my office immediately. Thank you, Prof. Dumbledore._

Harry bitterly crumpled up the letter and tried to shake Ron awake.

"Ron! C'mon, Ron!" Harry hissed.

"Wha's th' matter, Harry?" Neville mumbled from behind his bed curtains.

"Nothing, Neville. Go back to sleep. _Ron!_"

Harry ripped the covers away from Ron and called his name again. Nothing. He picked a sock off the floor and transfigured it into a spider dangling from a string. He tickled Ron's nose with the spider. Slowly, Ron's eyes opened. He lay there dumbly for a moment, adjusting to the light --

"AHHHHH!!!" Ron jumped up on his bed, flailing his arms around madly, managing to rip the curtains down. They fell on top of him, and he began to roll around as if on fire.

"Ron! Calm down! I was just -- ."

Ron hit the floor with a thud. The mass of tangled bed curtains rose.

"Big -- ."

Thud.

"Hairy --."

The curtains were crawling furiously toward the door.

"SPIDER!"

Bang. The curtains hit the wall, fell from the room and went sailing down the spiral staircase, unraveling as they wound around. Harry calmly collected Ron's slippers and robe and walked down the stairs. Ron was crumpled at the bottom, shaking.

"It's gone," Harry assured him.

Ron shook his head furiously.

"I killed it."

Ron snorted. Red patches were beginning to break out on his skin.

"Guts everywhere."

"Eh," Ron looked up at Harry, "are you sure?" he croaked.

"I promise," Harry smiled.

Before Ron could manage to pull himself from the floor, Hermione and Ginny appeared at the end of the girl's stairs.

"What happened to you?" Ginny giggled.

Hermione inspected the trail of red curtains fluttering on the stairs, "Have a nightmare?"

"Somethin' like that," Ron said in a deep voice, courageously lifting himself from the floor and dusting himself off with a flourish.

"Here are your slippers," Harry smirked, holding them out with the hand that the spider was dangling from.

"AHHHH!!!"

(scene change)

"I hear that you four had quite an interesting afternoon?" Dumbledore gazed at them from behind his spectacles, "Mr. Weasley, are you sure you're quite all right?"

Ron was splotchy and still working on catching his breath, "Just fine, sir."

Professor McGonagall was hovering behind them, clearing her throat often and appearing quite upset.

"I've simply called you here to get the facts correct," Dumbledore informed them, "Now, you went to Hogsmeade on the invitation of Misters Fred and George Weasley."

Harry snorted, "They needed a special guest for their Halloween party."

"Ah, yes. And you complied...not without hesitation," Dumbledore smiled, "and then a bird attacked a Madeleine McGonagall, who died from the wound."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny simultaneously nodded their heads.

"All right. Then the bird flew back into the air, and that is when you, Harry, released a ball of fire from your wand and killed it. May I ask, what spell did you use?"

"I don't remember," Harry explained, "Just the first one that came to mind, I suppose."

"It's evil," Hermione whispered, "What is it?"

Dumbledore lowered his head as if reading a piece of parchment on his desk, "I have never heard of such a bird. It must be a hybrid of Voldemort's. From what two or three animals it comes, I do not know."

Hermione was noticeably disappointed.

"Now, I'm afraid, that I'm going to be forced to take house points for sneaking off the grounds."

Ron moved to protest, but McGonagall gripped him firmly on the shoulder.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor."

They rose, dejected, and dragged themselves to the door.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter," Dumbledore called before they left.

Harry turned.

"A hundred points to Gryffindor -- for courage, bravery, and being in the right place at the right time...as you so often are."

(scene change)

"So, you think it's a good idea?" Hermione asked Harry, anxiously.

"Actually, I do."

"Good."

Ron approached the two, who were standing outside Tonks's classroom, "What's a good idea?"

Harry looked around and saw that Malfoy and his pair of cronies were making their way to Defense, "Um...you'll see," he said quietly, disappearing into the classroom.

"Oh, Harry!" Tonks exclaimed, dashing over to shut the door behind him, "I heard about what happened on Halloween. How horrifying!"

"You want to know the worst?" Harry laughed, "Fred and George have had booming business since. They've made more in the past week than they usually make in two months, I hear. They're feeling so charitable, they sent Ron more girl tracking devices."

Tonks snickered.

"So if you see him pull out an antenna during Defense, you'll know he's really trying to detect who thinks he's the most dashing."

Tonks roared with laughter, "Ah, Harry. I think I may know how Fred and George conjured that one."

"How do you mean?"

"You just keep a close eye on our dear Ronald during class," Tonks winked, "Now, speaking of class, I was wondering if you could show them the spell to make that fireball."

"I don't remember," Harry said, earnestly, "I think it must have been a mistake."

Tonks gave him an appraising look, eyebrows furrowed, "Hm, well, then just help me demonstrate, all right?"

"Sure," Harry smiled.

The voices on the other side of the door had intensified. Tonks reached for a thin silver flask on her desk and took a long swig, "Time for class."

(scene change)

"Today, class, we will be learning a particularly nasty launching spell!" Tonks said brightly.

Harry, who was sitting on a stool in the front of the room saw Hermione whisper to Ron excitedly, who responded by rolling his eyes.

"Okay, Harry, if you'd join me," Tonks gave a little clap for Harry. The rest of the class weakly followed suit, "Now, a launching spell will throw your opponent back very forcefully. I'm going to try and go a bit easy on Harry because it's not rare for the recipient to receive serious wounds. If you'd just move as far away from the wall as possible...yes, that's it. All right, Harry, brace yourself."

Harry prepared himself for excruciating pain. Tonks raised her wand and said evenly, "_Propello!_" Harry felt himself being jolted from the floor, and in an immediate flood of panic he furiously tried to think of a counter spell that would cause him to hover. Maybe...but wait. Why had he not hit the wall yet? He hadn't fallen on the floor. He looked down and saw that he was floating a couple of feet above the floor. He softly landed.

Tonks stood motionless, staring in amazement. Harry released the grip on his wand that he had maintained through the folds of his cloak.

"Um...well, I must have pronounced the spell wrong..."Tonks stuttered, "Harry...if you'd just...get back in position. _Propello!_"

Again, there was a rush of panic, and Harry was hovering above the floor. He landed.

"Harry," Tonks said slowly, "why don't you try it on me?"

Harry began to protest, "I've never -- ."

"Just try."

Harry removed his wand from his pocket, "_Propello!_"

Tonks went sailing with excessive speed through the air. Harry winced as he prepared to see her hit the wall, but the wall stretched back before she collided. And very gently she rebounded, landing on the floor, much in the same fashion as Harry had.

"Hmm," she murmured as she passed him on the way to her desk, "You're all going to divide in groups now! Let's see Seamus and Lavender..."

(scene change -- I'm sorry if this is annoying :( )

"It was so strange, Harry," Hermione whispered, "_Propello!"_

Neville skidded across a desk on the other side of the room, narrowly missing the wall. He lay on the floor whimpering.

"Yeah, mate," Ron looked up from the antenna he was trying to conceal in his lap, "it was strange. Cool but strange."

Parvati Patil passed by. A bar across the bottom of the antenna turned a deep blue. Ron glared angrily at Parvati's retreating back, "Hey, Parvati, you're hair looks dreadful. What'd you do to it!" Ron snapped bitterly.

"RON!" Hermione whacked him on the back of the head.

"What? _She _thinks that _I_ am as attractive as the giant squid!" Ron hissed, "Her --with her -- big hair!" he called over his shoulder.

Harry shook his head in amusement, "So, what's the best you can do?"

"Well," Ron explained, "If it turns red, that means she thinks you're as attractive as...well...Fred and George Weasley. But those gits made it, so you get the point."

Tonks came over to their table. Ron quickly covered the antenna with his cloak.

"So, how's it going?" Tonks asked.

"Just fine," Hermione beamed, "You might want to check on Neville though."

"Will do. And you, Ron?" Tonks smiled.

"Oh, I'm doing fine, Tonks. I just -- ow, ow!" Ron threw the cloak off of the antenna, which was glowing a vivid red and releasing steam.

"What's that?" Tonks asked innocently, bending over Ron's shoulder.

Ron looked up at Tonks, his face frozen with horror, "_Tonks?_" he gulped.

"What?"

Ron's voice shook with terror, "I never knew...."

(scene change)

"I didn't know you wanted to start the DA again," Ron said as they left dinner.

Hermione was tapping the coin to change the last date from the previous year to a day the following month, "We'll have to spread the word. I'm sure they've forgotten to keep up with their coins."

"We may have to get some new ones," Harry commented as they reached the portrait hole, "Filibuster."

The portrait swung open to reveal a packed common room. The center of attention was a table that had been set up underneath the notice board.

"Get your Quibbler: Hogwart's Edition!" Colin Creevey called over the crowd.

"Hogwart's Quibbler?" Ron spat, disgusted.

"Oh, yeah," Harry remembered, "Luna's been working on it. I think the feature's ghosts of Hogwarts or something."

"Great picture, Harry, Ron!" Joseph Belty said as he walked by.

"We're not ghosts," Ron calculated.

Hermione, who they hadn't noticed had disappeared, pushed her way out of the mass gathered around the table, a rolled up magazine clutched tightly in her hand, "Come over here!"

She pulled Harry by the wrist to a corner of the common room. Ron followed with some difficulty.

"Look!" She said, exasperated.

Harry took the magazine, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Underneath the title of the magazine was the headline: HOGWARTS FAB FIVE TELL ALL. The cover picture was of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville waving madly, their backs to the astronomy tower railing.

"When was _that_ taken?" Harry asked.

"You remember. We had been working in the library with Neville. Ginny showed up, then Luna. Then we took a walk. Luna asked for a picture. We were too tired to argue -- ."

"Oh, yeah."

Ron grabbed the magazine from Harry.

"The whole article is about us, and things we've said that Luna must have remembered. Rumors of things you've done in the past, how we were involved. Our...get this..._crushes_," Hermione began to look ill as she relayed the article.

Harry took her arm and led her to a nearby chair. Students kept coming by and waving. Harry would glare, they would scuttle away. Ron would curse, Hermione would get irritated. The night drawled by much in that fashion. It wasn't until nearly midnight that the common room cleared and Harry could actually sit down to read the article, which was probably not a wise decision.

_The Hogwarts Fab Five_

_[For hundreds of years Hogwarts has seen the goings and comings of many brilliant witches and wizards, but none have been so united as the small group of our time's greatest witches and wizards that dwell within the walls of our beloved school even as you read this.]_

"Time's greatest witches and wizards?" Ron's forehead crinkled as he repeated what Harry had read aloud.

"That's you, Ron," Hermione yawned.

She received a blow from a pillow.

_[Harry Potter and his best friends, Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom roam the halls, their presence an inspiration to the younger students, but does anyone really know the story behind this teen superhero?]_

Harry felt he was going to be ill.

"So...who's the superhero?" Ron demanded.

Hermione sighed, "Harry."

"Why does Harry get to be the superhero?"

The article continued much as Hermione had said.

[_...when interviewed, Rubeus Hagrid, mentor and grandfather figure of our fabulous friends said, "Well, Harry n' Hermione n' Ron, they're very special kids, see. Saved many lives, they have, and escaped from dreadful things. Why, in their firs year, they help'd me take care of Norbert - er, a pet of mine...well, don't write it down or nothin' but he was this little dragon of mine..."]_

"Oh, crap, crap, Hagrid, no!" Harry moaned, hitting himself with the magazine.

"Harry," Hermione tried to retrieve the magazine.

SLAP. SLAP.

"Harry!"

Harry angrily lowered the magazine. Hermione, satisfied, ordered him to continue.

_["...well, personally," said fifth year, Lavender Brown, "I think that Harry and Ginny Weasley are going to hook up, but he's perfect for this friend of mine, Candy..."]_

"I refuse to read the rest of this," Harry muttered, tossing the magazine aside.

"Now, now Harry. Candy sounds like she could be pretty fun," Ron gave him a knowing look.

"RON!" Hermione stormed, "I'm glad Harry's not a prat like you!"

Ron snatched the magazine, "Hm...let's see, Hermy, according to this poll, 52% of Hogwarts students think you'll end up with Harry, 40% with me...Harry's loss...er, 2% with Neville, and...my favorite part...ah yes, 6% will Draco Malfoy. Dun-Duh-DUH-Dun!!!"

Projectiles began flying.

Somewhere around two in the morning, Hermione got hold of the magazine.

_[It appears to your author that Harry Potter must harbor some extraordinary magic that has made his difficult life bearable and that makes him a compelling individual, who really just seeks goodness and truth in everything. ]_

Hermione began to cry.

_[His friends are what get him through each passing day, a bond that will never be worn or broken....]_

Hermione began to wail, digging her head into the cushions of the couch to muffle the racket of sobs.

"Should we...do something for her?" Ron asked as if trying to decide whether he should be concerned.

"I dunno. Maybe it's just a girl thing."

_[For they hold each other in such high esteem, willing to compromise themselves for the good of the others...]_

"Maybe, if one of us...like...patted her on the back?" Ron suggested, his face a deep scarlet.

Hermione was curled up between the cushions, blubbering profusely.

"Okay, so you're gonna pat her on the back, and I'll -- ."

"Oh, no, no. WE, we're going to pat her on the back," Ron corrected.

"But -- ."

"_TOGETHER."_

Harry and Ron inched closer to the trembling girl.

"Should we pat her with our hands, "Harry winced, "or you know...a pillow?"

"Pillows are soft," Ron concurred.

_[They know the depth of each other's souls, the most lasting bond of all...]_

"She's still crying. Why's she still crying!" Ron snapped, fanning Hermione with a pillow.

"I don't know," Harry said, aghast, "I mean, we were reading that crap Luna wrote, then, then she was just...like this."

"Did we say something?" Ron asked.

Harry sat down next to the bawling Hermione, resting his head in his hands, "I can't think of anything offensive," then realization dawned, "You didn't say anything about her hair being big, did you?"

_[ In conclusion, we should all be so lucky to find friends that will go with us through the most evil of places and celebrate with us in the most wonderful. And I know, no matter the circumstances, that the fab five will be inseparable, together through everything that crosses their path.]_

"Look, I'm tired, Hermione," Ron said, leaning over Hermione who was still shaking and howling, her head still buried in the couch, her hair wet and sticking to the sides of her face, "TIRED."

"Maybe she needs some alone time," Harry said, standing.

"You know, you're probably right," Ron agreed.

"See you in the morning, Herm," Harry yawned.

The howling quieted, and they could hear her muffled voice say into the couch cushions, "I love you guys!" The howling quickly resumed.

"Definitely needs alone time," Ron said slowly.

"Yeah," Harry laughed.

The two boys began to ascend the spiral staircase.

"Keep telling you she's mad...."

A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated! Oh, and a reviewer asked about pairings. I'm not sure yet. Sorry. :( I'm in as much anticipation as you! (Well, if you're in anticipation, that is to say....) Thanks Oriana8 for all of your wonderful reviews and for all my other reviewers. Thanks guys. God bless.


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: All the characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling. Isn't she lucky?

Chapter Nine

All of the excitement from Halloween was beginning to fade, and Harry had the harsh realization the following Thursday afternoon that Gryffindor's first quidditch game was a month away, and his team had only had three practices. He hastily arranged for the team to meet that Saturday for what he was sure would be a grueling five hours of practice. On a quidditch high, he raced from McGonagall's office, where he had been securing the pitch, and hurried to find Ron so they could go over some strategies. Unfortunately, he found Ron - fighting with Percy in the Transfiguration hall.

"I couldn't see _you_, _you_ _could_ _see_ _me_!" Ron bellowed, shaking his wand under Percy's nose.

Apparently, there had been a mix up over who exactly had the right to turn the corner.

"I am afraid that you are mistaken, Ronald. I assure you I was well beyond the corner before you rammed into me like a drunken --."

Harry cast a silencing charm over the both of them, "Percy, I know this will anger you, but I'm afraid you can't take points from me as you no longer attend Hogwarts. Still wondering why you're here, by the way. And Ron -- ."

Ron glared threateningly at Harry.

" -- I would appreciate it if you would mangle your brother elsewhere. If McGonagall sees you, I know she'll drop you from the team, and Hermione's keeping skills aren't quite as refined as your's."

Throwing Percy one last deadly glare, Ron followed Harry down to the Great Hall where Harry removed the silencing charm.

"Thanks for getting rid of the prat. I wish he'd just go away!" Ron fumed, slamming his bag on the bench next to Hermione.

"What's wrong?" she asked, setting her book down.

"Percy and Ron were within ten feet of each other," Harry explained.

"Ah," Hermione returned to her book but abandoned it again rather quickly and turned to Harry, "Tonks wants to see us in her room tonight, can you make it?"

"'Course," Harry replied, already shoving potatoes in his mouth.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

* * *

Tonks's room was covered in rolls of parchment and absurdly heavy volumes of dark arts manuals. 

"Oh, hey guys. Excuse the mess - oh, what do you care?" Tonks dropped onto her sofa, despairingly holding her face in her hands.

"Are you all right, Tonks?" Hermione asked warmly, taking a seat next to the professor.

Harry took Tonks's behavior as an opportunity to take a glimpse of the papers piled high on her coffee table and mantle. Maps of different secure locations in Europe and lots of papers with an unfamiliar scrawl of characters that Harry assumed to be code.

"I've been working non-stop for three days, three days, and I'm no closer to figuring any of this out! They really should have given this stuff to Remus - he's much better at piecing things together. Or Molly, but really, _me_?"

"What is it?" Harry asked, fingering one particularly long and cramped parchment.

Tonks was hesitant at first but whether due to stress or helplessness, she caved, "We got all these papers from the Malfoy manor. They were in Lucius's little dark arts room. And they've told me to figure out what it all means. It's just because no one else wants to do it. 'Oh, Tonks, you were so good at arithmancy, this should be a cinch!'" Tonks cursed.

Hermione's face lightened as Harry passed her one of the coded parchments, "You know, Tonks...we could...well, Harry and I could help you," Hermione said, appearing very small.

Tonks pried her face from her hands long enough to look at them contemptuously and reply, "You shouldn't even have seen these things. I only called you down here to tell you that we wouldn't be meeting tomorrow for your advanced lessons because I have to work on this blasted mess."

She returned to her previous state of gloom.

"Why won't you let us help you!" Harry demanded, rifling through a journal filled with complicated sketches of instruments that even looked evil.

"Because I'm not supposed to," Tonks replied, "Dumbledore would kill me, _kill me_, if he knew I even told you two that we'd been to the Malfoy's. You don't want to see me outed, do you? Blood, mass confusion, weeping flowers and singing sympathy cards. Murder can be a nasty business."

Hermione bit her bottom lip in thought, then rebuttled, "But you've already told us about where you got all this stuff. Now, Harry and I could keep it under wraps or...we might just slip up in front of Dumbledore. Wouldn't that be awful? All the singing sympathy cards? Or...Harry and I could be pleasantly busy decoding dark materials. We wouldn't have the time to tell Dumbledore....."

Harry loved how Hermione could be viciously clever with blackmail.

Tonks scowled, making her look especially vindictive in the firelight, "_Fine_."

Harry traded mischievously grins with Hermione.

"I could use some help -- and you better not go running to Dumbledore about this!"

"A deal's a deal," Hermione smiled.

Tonks scoffed, "I suggest you find a place where you can study these materials without anyone coming across them accidently. I never, _never_ want to hear they've been lying around the common room, got it?"

"We'll work in the Room of Requirement, and I'll lock it up after we leave each time," Harry promised.

"Sounds safe enough," Tonks admitted grudgingly.

She pulled herself from the sofa and began collecting stacks of parchment. Harry and Hermione left Tonks's room laden with towers of books and papers.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Harry muttered from behind his mass of books.

They rounded the corner to the Room of Requirement, and after pacing three times in front of the wall, found themselves entering a beautiful studying space. Hermione gasped and hastily set her mounds of parchment down to inspect the room. The room was lit with dim, low hanging lights that floated above the three round tables in the center of the room and the squishy arm chairs that were located near towering book shelves filled with books similar to those that Harry was carrying. There were windows, which was odd because there weren't any windows when the room was being used for the DA, but they were covered with thick velvet curtains at the moment. There was also a cheery fireplace and a cabinet filled with tea pots and hot chocolate packets.

"It's brilliant," Hermione sighed.

"Yeah," Harry grinned.

"Isn't it great?"

"Of course, the room's amaz -- ."

"Not the room. I mean, we're finally doing it, Harry. We're helping the Order. We're _really helping_."

Harry smiled, "We are, aren't we?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had been three weeks since Harry had appointed Brandy Riggs, Edward Candin, and, to Ron's great distaste, Freddy Sneddy to Gryffindor's team. And even though Kathryn Embers and Ginny Weasley (who Harry had begged and even went as far as to send flowers to) were also on the team, Harry now found himself guiltily fantasizing about disbanding the team and tricking his two new chasers and new beater into accepting a portkey to Siberia.

"Did Candin just call the quaffle a --," Ron teared, "a quakkle?"

Harry nodded solemnly, "We're just uh...going to ignore that."

Ron looked close to a break down, "I oughta shove the _quakkle_ down Candin's

throat -- ."

"Ron, I don't care what he calls it as long as he puts it through the goal."

"You mean the goakkle," Ron said, bitterly.

It was three hours into Saturday's quidditch practice, and while Kathryn, Ginny, Harry, and even Ron were brilliant (and didn't mind admitting it to themselves), it was painfully obvious that the other three only recently became aware of how to sit on a broom.

"Um, let's just go through that play one more time!" Harry called from the center of the pitch, kicking off to join the others in the air.

Ginny made a spectacular dive on her broom to level herself with a bludger which she whammed in Freddy's direction. Harry took note that Freddy was a bit caught off guard - seeing as how he fell off his broom. Ron, who was closest, managed to grab Freddy by the robes to keep him from plummeting to the ground, but the third year was so petrified that he fainted, and Harry had to bring practice to an end so they could make the trip to the infirmary.

The team was assured twenty minutes later that Mr. Sneddy would be just fine after a bit of rest. Harry insisted on staying with him until he woke up. To his surprise, Kathryn also informed Madam Pomfrey that she wanted to stay until he awoke. Ron mouthed to Harry 'you've got a fan' and advised him rather loudly to 'tell off the clumsy git as soon as he wakes up' before he hurriedly exited the hospital wing.

"Good practice," Harry told Kathryn as he took a seat next to Freddy's bed.

Kathryn looked at him warily, "I may never have played quidditch before, but I still know that that was the worse display of the sport in many, many, many centuries."

Harry smiled, "Ever."

"What?"

"Worst display _ever_," Harry corrected.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Harry appraising the new Gryffindor. She reminded him a bit of Ginny, brutally honest and challengeable.

"So...friend of Sneddy's?" Harry inquired, motioning to the unconscious chaser.

"He lives in the same neighborhood as me. Known him as long as I can remember."

"Do you live in a muggle neighborhood?"

"No. It's a little village about the size of Hogsmeade. A couple of muggles, but mostly wizards. I live with my mum."

Freddy stirred, mumbling, "Where am I?"

Harry leaned over him, grinning, "Ever heard of something known as the 'Wrath of the Weasley?'"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry entered his dorm room Saturday night to find another congregation of Gryffindor boys, handing money over to Ron.

"Picked up some great stuff on the ol' Extendables while you were in the infirmary this afternoon!" Ron shouted over the din of anguished cries and shouts of mirth.

"I have good biceps, Harry! I have good biceps!" Seamus laughed joyously, clapping Harry hard on the back.

"That's nothing, Finnigan!" Dean roared, "The lovely Miss Patil thinks that I, Dean Oliver Thomas, have a 'dashing smile'!"

Harry snaked his way over to the board where Ron was staring at it admiringly, "I fixed Hermione's damage."

He sighed. Harry looked to see that under Ron's square were comments from Lavender, Susan Bones, a Ravenclaw girl, Mitsy, and a Gryffindor fifth year, Anna. The consensus was that Ron had cute freckles and an athletic build. Then Harry noticed in the corner of Ron's square were the initials P.T. and a little flame.

"Who's P.T.?" Harry snickered.

"Er...." Ron blushed, "Oh, that's nothing. It's just -- ."

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Fine, but you've gotta swear you won't tell anyone."

"Oh, I swear."

"On your wand."

Harry rolled his eyes, "On my wand."

"And Hedwig!"

"_Ron_!"

"All right, fine!" Ron leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "P.T. stands for...for Professor Tonks."

Harry choked and attempted to smother his uncontrollable laughter.

"Tonks?" he hissed.

Ron nodded gravely, "I think she may have it bad for me."

"So, then you _did_ notice the signs," Harry mocked relief, "Me and Hermione didn't think we could keep it a secret any longer...."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"TONKS!" Hermione laughed, falling back into an arm chair in the Room of Requirement.

She and Harry and just begun working on their project for the Order, and Harry decided he just had to tell her.

"I predict that defense classes get _very_ _interesting_," Harry said knowledgeably.

"You've been taking classes under Trelawny for too long," Hermione joked, pulling a stack of coded parchment towards her, "Now, where should we begin with these codes?"

Harry groaned, taking a seat on the arm rest of Hermione's chair, "I've no idea."

Most of the parchments were covered in little squiggles and occasionally something faintly resembled a letter. To Harry, it looked impossible.

"Well," Hermione ploughed on, "it could be some ancient form of writing that Voldemort makes his Death Eaters use, but I'm betting against that one. I'm sure it's really very simple. So simple, that someone would never think of it. They probably write everything normally and then use some sort of spell. And we're in trouble if that's it because it could be anything that Voldemort concocted."

"Simple, huh?" Harry asked, wrapping an arm around the chair and gently pulling a piece of parchment from Hermione's left hand.

He hesitantly held it, then drew his wand and tapped the paper, "Reveal yourself."

To his amazement, and Hermione's greater amazement, the squiggles began to worm around on the paper until they formed perfectly legible letters.

"H-how did you -- ." Hermione asked, breathlessly.

"In my third year, Snape tried to view the contents of the Marauder's Map. But instead of using a normal spell, he just said 'reveal yourself', which always seemed a bit odd to me -- ."

"Commanding magic," Hermione interrupted.

"What?"

"It's a rarely used branch of magic. You see, some people have the ability to command directed magic without knowing a spell. Not everyone can do it, and I've never heard of anyone commanding a strong spell like...a patronus or stupefy. But little things, yes, little things like this many of his Death Eaters can probably manage. Harry, you're brilliant," Hermione finished admiringly.

Harry waved a dismissive hand, "I just remembered something."

"But you also used commanding magic on your first try, without knowing what you were doing."

"Point is," Harry tried to distract her, "we can now read these papers."

The first paper was a letter from Lucius to MacNair, explaining that Voldemort would soon be residing in Scotland.

"It was never sent though," Hermione breathed, "See, he wrote it on the Halloween that Voldemort tried to kill you."

"Why didn't he burn this stuff?" Harry asked, as he worked on revealing more parchments.

"I don't know, but -- ," Hermione gasped as she skimmed a new piece of parchment.

"What is it!" Harry leaned in to look at the parchment that was shaking in her hand.

He gripped it firmly and began to read. It was detailed instructions on the Potters' whereabouts and state (noting the recent Fidelus charm and the secret-keeper, Pettigrew) as of October 24. Two sentences seemed to burn with ferocity, however: James Potter's son is a _NATURAL_. The master would be advised to not act on the prophesy.

This was a passage from Lucius's own journal, another message that had not left his care.

"What's a Natural?" Harry asked.

"I - I don't know. I don't think it's an official title or anything. We could ask Tonks," Hermione suggested.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, standing up and stretching, "Yeah, let's talk to Tonks tomorrow. We need to get back to the common room."

Hermione sighed and got up to accompany Harry to the tower.

"I should put out the fire," Harry reminded himself.

As he stepped toward the fireplace to pour water from his wand, the fire instinctively grew, lapping against the walls of the fireplace. Fearfully, he put it out, and they hurriedly left the room.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They would have reached Gryffindor tower in silence had Draco Malfoy, who was patrolling, not approached them.

"Well, well, well, a mudblood and her hero," Malfoy drawled.

"Shut it, Malfoy," Harry spat, taking Hermione by the arm and guiding her to the nearest staircase.

"Must have been hard, Potter," Malfoy called, "witnessing such a spectacle at the Department of Mysteries. Funny how some people just can't seem to keep their balance. Better keep your grip on your mudblood friend - wouldn't want her to fall through a curtain, now would you?"

_"Shut it, Malfoy."_

However, this sentiment did not come from Harry but from Ginny who had appeared behind Malfoy.

"Go back to your end of the hall," Malfoy sneered.

"Oh, go back to your hole, Malfoy," Ginny replied.

"How dare you speak to me like that -- ."

"I'll speak to you however I please, you git," Ginny snapped, "See you guys in the morning," she said, turning to Harry and Hermione.

"If he does anything to you...." Harry whispered, angrily.

"He'll have difficulty breathing through all the bats stuck up his nasal passage," Ginny promised.

"Bye, Gin," Hermione smiled, tugging on Harry's sleeve, "Ignore him, ignore him..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"A Natural?" Ron repeated, "never heard of it."

"Neither have I," Hermione said.

Ron stared disbelievingly at her and then mocked stumbling back from the shock, "I'm - I'm sorry, what was that?"

Hermione scoffed and buried her head in her book again. They had just been released from a torturous Potions class, and Harry had suggested they go lay by the lake. It was beginning to get chilly as it always was in mid-fall, but he could tell that this winter was going to be particularly bitter. Ron threw himself down on the ground and pulled out another girl tracking device.

"This one let's me know exactly how uh..._flirtatious_, shall we say....a girl really is."

He pointed the cylindrical gadget at Hermione then studied a little meter on the side, "Man, you're boring."

Hermione glowered at him, her book shaking, as if willing her to chuck it at him.

"Can I see that?" Harry asked.

Ron eagerly handed it to him. Harry, in turn, handed it to Hermione, "You can have the honor."

Hermione smiled gratefully and hurled the gadget into the lake, where the giant squid sucked it up into its tentacles.

Ron would probably have protested had Christopher Stone not chosen that moment to confidently approach Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione," he said, flinging himself down on the ground between her and Harry.

Ron gaped open mouthed, then signaled for Harry to behold the obnoxiousness.

"Er...hey, Christopher. How are you?" Hermione swallowed.

"Fine, I was just seeing if you were going in for dinner anytime soon -- ."

"She has a previous engagement!" Ron burst.

Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eye, raising an eyebrow. Harry mouthed 'previous engagement?!?' over Stone's head. Stone, however, did not seem to have heard Ron.

"Well, I really have a lot of homework to be taking care of, and I just think I'm going to have to decline," Hermione responded diplomatically.

"Aw, come on. Five minutes -- ," Stone coaxed.

"You heard the lady!" Ron raised his voice, "She's got homework, and nothing, nothingcomes between 'Mione and her homework!"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

'Mione?!?' Harry mouthed dubiously.

"Ron's actually kind of...right...I guess," Hermione said with great pain, "I do need to work."

Stone took his first glance at Ron, "Who are you?"

"Ron Weasley, brother to Bill, Charlie, Fred, George -- ."

"Ah, yeah, a Weasley. You're a chaser for Gryffindor, right?"

"Keeper," Ron growled.

"Anyway, Hermione. I just thought it'd be nice to get to talk to you. I hardly ever see you around and -- ."

"Look," Hermione relented, "why don't go get some food and we'll have a little," she covered a giggle, "picnic over on the other side of the lake."

Stone looked hesitant.

"And Ron the Chaser will go far, far away."

Ron's jaw dropped in disgust.

"Well, all right," Stone laughed, leaving them.

"A picnic?" Harry asked as Hermione collected her book and papers.

"With Stone!" Ron elaborated, "You know," he continued, "I think the flirt detector may have mis-gaged you because seemed _pretty_ _fl_ --."

"Ron!" Hermione ruptured, "If you keep talking I won't have a chance to run before that prat comes back, so kindly get off your backside and help me carry some of these books!"

Harry and Ron obliged and the three sprinted across the lawn, just managing to conceal themselves in an archway as Stone exited the Entrance Hall with a basket of food.

"You know," Harry beamed, "I'm very proud of you, leaving a poor, innocent bloke alone with his picnic basket."

"Shut up," Hermione smirked.

"Was it just me or did he have roasted chicken and chocolate truffle in that basket?" Ron asked, furrowing his brow.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! There's a lot of plot and action in the next few chapters so please remember the story if you liked it! God bless.


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I don't own of the characters, settings, anything - those belong to J.K. Rowling. I came up with the plot to this particular story, but that's it.

Chapter Ten

Harry slept fitfully for the next three days. He kept seeing fire in his dreams. He would never feel the heat or sting from the burn, but it seemed he was sitting, surrounded by the towering flames, watching contentedly. The flames offered him no comfort when he awoke, however, and he was beginning to worry that Voldemort was making plans to torch something - or someone.

On the third night, he restlessly ripped apart his four poster curtains and ventured into the common room. He found Hermione sitting by the fireplace reading. The firelight made him uneasy, but he decided that it was a bit cheerier than the fire that lashed about in his dreams, so he cleared his throat to announce his arrival.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed tiredly, "I was just going to bed -- really."

"Hermione, it's three o'clock in the morning," Harry said, his voice subdued from tiredness.

"Well, if it's such a late hour, why aren't you in bed?" Hermione huffed, gathering her papers.

"Couldn't sleep."

Hermione looked frightened.

"Don't worry - no dreams," Harry lied.

"Good," Hermione sighed, "I haven't had any recently either."

Harry had almost forgotten about Hermione's nightmare in September. He was pretty sure that it had been Voldemort trying to cast the Imperious curse on her through her dream, but they had discussed the events of that night since it had happened.

"Did you ever figure out what Voldemort wanted with you?" Harry asked, quietly.

Hermione sat down heavily on the sofa, "No...I don't know what he wanted."

Harry joined her on the couch, "You know, sometimes I just wanna get inside Voldemort's head and pick it apart - find a way to destroy him."

"Of course you do, Harry," Hermione smiled, "He killed your parents after all and seems to want to kill you."

Hermione could be so blunt, but her response had triggered something in Harry's mind. She didn't know. Hermione didn't know about the prophecy. Neither did Ron, come to think of it.

"Hermione, I have a lot of explaining to do...."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Two days. For two days, Hermione hugged Harry and teared every time she saw him. He had dealt with it well the first day, but he was on the verge of placing the body binding curse on her.

Harry and Ron cautiously entered the common room.

"Do you see her?" Harry muttered.

Ron scrutinized the room, "No...no...oh, wait, she's in the corner."

Harry moaned.

"Hey, many guys would gladly be in your shoes, mate."

"So...many guys would fancy an evil wizard after their lives?"

Ron scrunched his face in concentration, trying to connect Harry's thought to his own, "Wha-oh, _him_, no! Many guys would like girls flinging themselves all over them," he said matter-of-factly.

"But it's Hermione," Harry whined, "That's different."

Ron looked as if he would dearly love to comment on this remark but refrained and settled for scowling, "You go over there and say hey to her! She hasn't seen you all day, and if she wants to be all blubbery over this prophecy business, that's her problem!"

"Fine," Harry bitterly consented before slowly crossing the common room.

He stood in front of Hermione, who was so consumed in her book that she didn't notice him. He continued to stand. Maybe she'd never --

"Harry!" Hermione cried, abandoning the book in her lap and jumping from her chair. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly, "How are you!"

Harry stepped back a bit, "Do you remember seeing me at breakfast?"

"Yes, you looked a bit peaky."

"Well, I'm the same now as I was then."

"Oh," Hermione grinned, "Good day then?"

"We need to talk. You, me, and Ron."

Hermione stiffened, "Is something wrong?"

"No, we just need to talk."

Harry led Hermione back to the portrait hole where Ron was talking to a first year - "there's this painting of some pears and if you tickle it, it -- ."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded, grabbing his hand and pulling him from the common room.

"What! He was going to fetch me some butterbeer! Dobby would have helped him...."

Harry took them to the Room of Requirement which was still suitable for studying. After he shut and locked the door, he turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, I need you to be okay with this prophecy," Harry said gently.

Hermione frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, that you've been weeping all over me for nearly three days now, and Ron and I can't think about anything but how miserable -- ."

"- and weird," Ron offered.

" - how miserable you seem," Harry finished.

"Well, if you want me to be all right with the fact that there's a fifty percent chance that you might die soon, I'm sorry, I can't," Hermione said quickly, her cheeks reddening.

It felt as if yet another weight was being deposited in Harry's stomach, along with the regular thirty-five that he already carried around with him.

"Look, there's also a fifty percent chance that I might defeat Voldemort and this can all be over," Harry replied, trying to sound convincing.

"How are you going to do it, Harry," Hermione whispered monotonously,

Harry grimaced at the thought, "I don't know, but...we'll think of something. So let's just focus on the fact that I can still win."

Hermione nodded.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry was crossing the grounds towards the castle. After his talk with Hermione, he decided that he really needed to get out in the air a bit and fly. It did wonders, but now he had fallen back into a depressed stupor and numbly focused on getting back to the castle. He was so deep in his dejection that he didn't see an excited Tonks run from the castle in his direction, swiftly followed by Remus Lupin.

"Harry! HARRY!"

Tonks tried to skid to a halt, but...well...she's clumsy and she couldn't, and she collided with a sullen Harry. Harry lay on his back on the grass longer than necessary, just pondering _why him_ until Lupin grasped his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"You'll have to excuse Tonks," Lupin smiled, "She saw some peanut butter in the distance and freaked out."

"DID NOT!" Tonks cried, her voice muffled as she was face down on the ground.

Harry and Lupin helped her up.

"Harry, it's the most wonderful thing!" Tonks squealed.

"Is it really?" Harry laughed.

"Well, if you ask me," Lupin drawled, "It's nothing -- ."

"Shut up, Moony," Tonks snapped, "Now, Harry, get this - one of my students is a Metamorphmagus!"

"That's...great, Tonks."

"Isn't it!" Tonks beamed, "Oh, I have so much to do! I need some stuff from Hogsmeade, and I can't wait to start training!"

She ran off, leaving Harry and Lupin behind, shaking their heads.

"There's this potion," Lupin began darkly, "it deadens the nerves to the brain and calms you down...you can sit for hours and not move, not think," he inhaled, "I think I might slip some in her pumpkin juice tonight."

"Oh, please," Harry begged, "let me do the honors. I won't mess it up, I swear!"

Lupin laughed genially. Harry was glad Lupin was happy again. It had been a long summer for him, sorting out all of Sirius's affairs.

"Good to see you again, Harry," Lupin grinned, "Care to join me for a walk into Hogsmeade?"

"I don't know if I can, Remus. I'd love to, but - ."

"I assure you Dumbledore won't mind," Lupin persuaded him.

And so they drifted into Hogsmeade. The sun was beginning to set, and Harry realized he had never been to Hogsmeade at night.

"So, when shall I be expecting the first quidditch match of the season?" Lupin inquired, motioning that Harry follow him into the Three Broomsticks.

"Oh, that'd be tomorrow," Harry said nervously, taking a seat across from Lupin in a corner booth, "Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw."

"Worried?"

Lupin hailed Madam Rosmerta, "Two butterbeers over here!"

"Yeah," Harry admitted, "I mean, I've got Ron and Ginny and this _great_ new chaser, but the others," Harry trailed off.

"Sounds like our team our fifth year," Lupin recalled, "James was Seeker, Sirius was a beater, Lily, who only played one year even though she was astounding, was keeper, and the rest," Lupin laughed heartily at the memory, "After the first game, which Gryffindor lost by two hundred points, the other four woke up one night to Sirius's sneering face. Then they disappeared for a couple of days."

Harry's mouth dropped open, "What did he do with them!"

"Professor Sinistra found them locked in the South Tower with rations, water, broomsticks, and a set of bludgers and quaffles that had been in motion for two days

straight -- ."

"No....," Harry broke out in a manic grin.

"After two days locked in a room with some vicious quidditch equipment...well, let's just say they were quite adept at the sport by then. Hopkins and Sanders went on to play for national teams I think."

"I better keep that story from Ron or he'll have them locked up for a week - no rations."

Madam Rosmerta clunked two butterbeers on the table, "Enjoy boys."

"Thanks Rosy," Lupin winked.

"You know, this is where I found out Sirius was my dad's best friend," Harry said, followed by a long, determined swig of butterbeer.

"In a bar," Lupin shook his head, "Your father nor Sirius would have it any other way."

They sat in silence for several moments before Lupin became very solemn, "Dumbledore has mentioned to me the events on Halloween - about the bird."

Harry nodded, "It was bizarre."

Lupin lowered his voice considerably,"We've been picking around, and we think we might know what they are."

"What are they?" Harry choked.

"They're a mix of raven and a magical bird known as a helfdare. The helfdare has the power to conserve massive amounts of magic."

"Huh?"

"Say you were pierced by a helfdare, your magically energy is transferred to the helfdare, and that energy can in turn be drawn from the bird. But only extremely powerful wizards could hope to do that."

"Like Voldemort," Harry growled.

"Yes. Like him."

"What we can't figure out," Lupin leaned in even closer, "is how you killed it."

"A ball of fire."

"That's what Dumbledore said. He also said that you didn't know what spell you used.

And that wasn't an ordinary flame - it was a fire so hot, so sharp, so charged that even a helfdare that had just drawn energy from a powerful witch was killed."

"I don't know what I did," Harry confirmed, "I don't know what spell I used."

Lupin smirked, "Doesn't it remind you...well, doesn't it remind you a bit of when you discovered you were a _parselmouth_?"

Harry tried to remember that day.

"How you weren't aware that you were speaking a different language...how, only the presence of a snake seemed to enable you to speak that language...."

There was an eerie silence which Madam Rosmerta broke by bringing them the bill and wishing them both a good night.

"We ought to get you back to the castle," Lupin said, pitching a couple of sickles on the table, "You'll think about what I said, won't you? Try to remember?"

"Yeah," Harry murmured, "Yeah...I'll try to remember."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Harry returned to the common room late that night there was a large crowd gathered around a table, on which stood Ron, one hand holding up a Gryffindor flag, the other a mug of butterbeer. Hermione eased her way through the crowd to Harry's side.

"I was starting to worry," she whispered.

"What's going on in here?" Harry asked, tipping his head in Ron's direction.

"Oh," Hermione waved a dismissive hand, "he's just trying to rouse everyone before the game tomorrow."

"Game day is upon us!" Ron shouted over the sea of Gryffindors, "Tomorrow we fly to victory! We will ride on the back of the LION" (cheers) "and we will tear across the sky and rip the raven from the heavens and mangle it until it lies...helpless and breathes no more...." Ron watched as his fingers (demonstrating the raven being ripped from the sky) parted with his imaginary raven and thrust a victorious fist into the air "LONG LIVE THE LION!"

The common room burst from the seams. Students were jumping and screaming, clanking butterbeer cans and waving Gryffindor flags madly, swearing and butting heads. Hermione, however, wore a scowl so deep that Harry teased her that she didn't want her face to freeze that way.

"URGH!" Hermione stormed, "He's given that _ridiculous_ lion/raven speech four blasted times! And they're still cheering like a bunch of -- _why, pray tell_ are you _laughing_?" Hermione seethed, nudging Harry in the shoulder.

Harry tried to screw his face back into place, "Nothing...it's nothing. You're just funny when you're livid."

"And how many times have you seen me 'livid'?" Hermione glowered.

"Well..." Harry stretched the word, "there was just now -- ."

Hermione nodded.

" -- and yesterday when Ron bewitched all your textbook pages blank -- ."

Hermione fumed at the memory.

" -- and two days ago when I said your hair looked fuzzy -- ."

"Do you really think it wise to remind me of that?" Hermione cautioned.

"Er...probably not...Oh! Looks like he's going to give the speech again!"

Harry directed his attention to Ron who was beginning to slur in his speech, "Oi! Harry! Come 'ere."

"Excuse me," Harry whispered, quickly leaving Hermione's presence.

Harry joined Ron on the table, "People, I give you our captain - HARRY POTTER!" Ron patted Harry harshly on the shoulder, "Tell 'em something inspirationally," Ron advised drunkenly.

The room fell deathly silent.

"Er..."Harry had a habit of beginning speeches this way, "Tomorrow!" His voice rang.

Everyone remained silent. Desperate, he grabbed an abandoned butterbeer can and raised it to the air, "To tomorrow! We'll crush them - I promise!"

More screams and pounding and clanking of glasses.

The common room didn't begin clearing until after midnight, and it was one in the morning before Harry and Ron decided it would be safe to go upstairs. Ron sprang from his place on the couch and loudly and brokenly announced his retirement.

"See you on the pitch, MATE!" he roared, ruffling Harry's hair

"And g'night, Minny...Mione, Mione!"

He hung hesitantly over Hermione, who was sprawled out in an armchair. Then, so quickly that Harry had to make sure he didn't imagine it, Ron bent over and kissed Hermione ever so slightly. Then he retreated to the stairs, singing a hearty rendition of 'Weasley Is Our King, Yes Oh Yes, That's Me!' Hermione remained, aghast, in the armchair.

Awkwardly Harry asked, "Did he just -- ."

"I think so," Hermione muttered.

"Are you upset?"

Hermione looked at Harry, wearing a calculating expression.

"Sorry," he said, "you don't have to discuss it with me."

"No, it's all right. I'm not upset, I guess. I mean, Ron's a little out of it at the moment. He probably meant to get me on the cheek," Hermione smiled, warily.

"Maybe," Harry agreed, highly doubting that.

Suddenly Hermione buried her face in her hands, "I should have seen this coming."

"What do you mean?" Harry prodded, moving to the ottoman opposite Hermione.

" I hug you guys all the time and try to say encouraging things, and I should have known that Ron would interpret it all wrong."

"Look, I don't think it's that big of a deal," Harry said, "Sometimes...guys just do stuff like that - you know, spontaneously. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Really?" Hermione said, hopefully, "You think guys do that?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "What am I?"

"A wizard," Hermione suggested feebly.

"Other than that."

"British?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "_Other than that_."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, "Sorry. You're a guy."

"Finally!" Harry threw his arms in the air.

"Sorry," Hermione snickered.

"Somehow I'm not convinced."

Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag, "Thanks. I hope you're right, Harry. I'm going to get some sleep now."

"Go ahead," Harry smiled.

Hermione's foot was on the third step when the portrait flung against the wall and Ginny scrambled through, breathless. Her eyes darted around the room and landed on Harry. She dashed the length of the room and grabbed his arm desperately.

"Ginny, what's the matter?" Harry grabbed hold of her arms.

Hermione hurried from the stairs and came to hold onto Ginny's shoulders.

"Tell me everything you know about Death Eaters!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Let me get this straight," Harry began after Ginny hastily explained her request, "You were patrolling the halls with Malfoy, and he just told you that he's going on a mission with the Death Eaters at the end of the month. That doesn't add up -- ."

"Kind of. It's not a mission really," Ginny paused to breathe, "it's like a...scouting or something. Anyway, it sounds to me like they're going to try and make him kill someone and I -- ."

"Calm down, Gin," Hermione said soothingly.

Ginny closed her eyes and took several breaths then began speaking again, very subdued, "Harry, Malfoy was upset because he had just found out that his father's friends are collecting him for two days at the end of the month. All he's been told is that he will be requested to perform a task. Draco's pretty sure that his father has turned him over to You-Know-Who, and that he'll be asked to kill someone. I don't think he wants to be a Death Eater, and he won't tell me anything about them other than what I just told you."

"So, are you and Draco friends now?" Hermione asked.

"I wouldn't call us friends," Ginny muttered, "but we do speak to each other occasionally. I think he may tell me things he can't say in front of the Slytherins, and -- ."

"You are never to tell him _anything about_ the Order," Harry interrupted threateningly.

"I'm not stupid," Ginny snapped, "All I talk to him about is school. I...I mostly listen."

"And you want to know about Death Eaters because you're afraid Malfoy's turning into one?" Harry tried to understand.

"I can't help him if I don't know anything about what he's been asked to do," Ginny said simply.

Harry stared into the fire, weighing the pros and cons of the situation.

"All right," Harry said, still looking into the fire, "I'll tell you what I know, even though you've seen Death Eaters in action and I don't know if I'll be any help, but you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"I want to know what Malfoy's up to. If he goes with them, I want to know. If he doesn't, I definitely want to know. Got it?"

Ginny seemed to be arguing internally with herself, "Okay."

"What do you want to know?"

Ginny took a seat on the floor, her back to the fireplace hearth. Hermione sat beside her, squeezing her hand.

"I want to know how You-Know-Who controls them. I know that he sends them into combat, like at the ministry, and I know about the Dark Mark and all that. But I really want to know what he does to them."

Harry gazed at her sullenly, "The Dark Mark on their arm burns when he wants to see them, and they have to come or he'll torture them. They form a circle when they arrive, and Voldemort will berate the ones he's not pleased with and torture them - usually crucio -- ."

Ginny grimaced.

"-- and the ones he's pleased with get to torture - for kicks, you know. He'll control them when necessary through Imperious - or pain, and he doesn't spare those close to them either. There are darker things, naturally, but you don't need to hear about them, and I don't particularly want to relay them to you. Just know, all a Death Eater does is Voldemort's bidding. That's his life."

"I hope Draco doesn't go with them," Ginny whispered.

"Me too," Harry whispered in return.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm gonna eat. I'm just gonna eat," Ron told himself, deeply inhaling the smell of food over the breakfast table and then turning a sickly green, "Oh, I'm too nervous!"

"Just stuff some toast down, Ron," Hermione urged, lifting some toast to his nose.

Ron took a quick whiff and then ran from the hall. Hermione sighed and offered the toast to Harry who accepted it hungrily.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"I thought we could do some more decoding tonight," Hermione said quietly, "I've been to tell to Tonks that we've already done about a third of it. She was ecstatic," Hermione relayed proudly.

"Sure, I wanna take another crack at those papers anyway," Harry said, "But if we work tonight, you'll have to help me with my Potions essay tomorrow."

"Deal. And Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"I also want to do some research on the helfdare. Just in case, you know."

Just that morning Harry had told Ron and Hermione about his talk with Remus, conveniently leaving out the part about Hogsmeade as he was sure Hermione would disagree with his being off grounds.

"Of course."

The owls began to swarm over the tables, delivering packages, and to Harry's surprise, an owl carrying a letter bearing the Ministry seal landed in his plate. Harry took the letter suspiciously and opened it to find another Wizengamot summons.

"It's for next week," he told Hermione.

"We should see if Tonks knows anything about it."

Harry's quidditch teammates were beginning to exit the hall for the dressing rooms, and he bade Hermione good-bye. He found Ron already donned in his quidditch robes, muttering strategies under his breath ("Feint to the left - strike on the right! Ha-ha!"). Harry gave his pathetic little pep talk, and after the stands were filled and Madam Hooch called them out of the dressing rooms, the Gryffindor team made their way to their impending doom.

Harry was vaguely aware that Luna Lovegood was giving the commentary and just barely managed to get on the field when she yelled for "Dear Mr. Harry James Potter." Ten minutes later, Harry was circling the field for signs of the snitch. They were down by ten points already, but nothing they couldn't recover from he told himself.

"And Ginny Weasley, sister to Ronald, makes her way for Ravenclaw's hoop. She might possibly score. She throws the...um...the red ball - ."

"QUAFFLE!" roared the stands.

"Quakkle!" Edward Candin squeaked from seventy feet in the air.

" - yes, thank you Eddie. Ginny throws the quakkle into the hoop. Did anyone see the goalie try to block the throw? I'm afraid I was watching this rather interesting cloud...it's shaped sort of like the snitch for all of you quidditch fans -- ."

There was a rustling of cloaks and groaning of stands as everyone peered up into the sky.

" - and Ronald Weasley stupendously blocks a throw from Ravenclaw chaser, Freddy Sneddy."

Everyone's attention jerked back to the field. There was a brief moment of cheering from the Gryffindor stands before confusion set in, and McGonagall whispered something in Luna's ear.

"OH! I see! So...the Gryffindor goals are to my right? Excellent. I'm afraid that Ravenclaw blocked that one."

Cheers rang up from the Ravenclaw stands.

"Now, now, you don't want to gloat..." Luna tutted, tugging at her Gryffindor lion hat. The lion roared into her wand and with renewed spirit, the Gryffindors stomped in the stands, cheering their team on.

"Wait!" Luna cried, despairingly, "Why are you cheering? What did I miss? RONALD DID YOU BLOCK A GOAL?!"

Thirty minutes later, there was only a dull murmur from the stands seeing as how no one knew who was winning or what was happening exactly. Luna tried to brighten the atmosphere by reporting outlandish plays, but eventually everyone deduced that Harry had not knocked out the Ravenclaw seeker and was using his unconscious body to block a rampage of bludgers being sent from his own beater, Ginny Weasley, who had betrayed him after falling thirty feet from her broom and into the arms of Ravenclaw keeper, Matthews. A terse McGonagall also assured the baffled audience that Ron Weasley did not streak in order to distract a Ravenclaw chaser. This idea was briefly tempting to Harry, as he knew they were down by a hundred points and the Ravenclaw chasers could use a distraction. Then he saw the snitch. It was skimming the rim of the Gryffindor stands. It rarely went that low, but he took the opportunity and willed his Firebolt to speed toward the stands. He was sure Cho would be close behind him. Five feet away, four....the crowd was looking nervous seeing as how Harry was about to collide with them. Triumphantly, he grasped the snitch, skidding to a halt just before he tumbled into the sea of red and gold. He caught a glimpse of Neville and Seamus dancing around, waving banners. Dean Thomas was screaming something and Parvati was waving frantically. Hermione was shaking. Harry remained still on his broom. Hermione's shaking was getting worse. No one seemed to notice her flinging arms and pale face. Harry gently flew in her direction, "Hermione!" But before he reached her, slowed down because his boots and broom were being pounded by Gryffindor supporters, he saw her eyes roll in the back of her head and she jerked ferociously. Then she fell, unconscious.

A/N: Now, I know it's a cliffhanger, but hey, I have license to do that, right? Thanks for reading, please review! God bless!


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling owns all the characters, settings, etc. Except for any I make up, but you get the idea....  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Harry and Ron (who was still trying to piece together what happened) landed in the stands and left their brooms in Neville's care. Together, they carried Hermione to the hospital wing, flanked by a crowd of professors and Gryffindors.  
  
"What's wrong – oh, my word!" Madam Pomfrey flung open the double doors into the infirmary and directed Harry and Ron to a bed so they could lay Hermione down. It then took Pomfrey a quarter of an hour to get all of the bystanders out into the hall and the hospital wing locked up. Dumbledore insisted on placing a silencing charm on the walls as well.  
  
"– and her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she was shaking," Harry was trying to explain what happened to Hermione to the panicky mediwitch.  
  
She abruptly drew away from Hermione, "Sounds like a seizure."  
  
"And then she passed out?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"Yes. She should be fine, but I must ask – has this ever happened before?" Madam Pomfrey inquired, looking to Harry and Ron.  
  
"No," they said, shaking their hands.  
  
"Unusual...." Madam Pomfrey trailed off, "Well, I must ask that you all leave my infirmary. This young lady needs an examination and some rest! She'll be back in classes with the others on Monday."  
  
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
"That is unusual," Tonks concluded.  
  
Harry and Ron had immediately gone to her room, where she had locked herself in to work on stuff for the Order, to tell her what had happened at the quidditch game and to Hermione.  
  
"I'm sure she'll be all right," Tonks assured, returning to her mound of leather bound books.  
  
"We decoded some more of Malfoy's stuff the other night," Harry informed her, "It's still in the Room of Requirement."  
  
"Have you noticed anything important so far?" Tonks asked, eagerly scooting to the edge of her chair.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said uncomfortably, "Hermione thought – _thinks_! – Hermione _thinks_ that I should ask you what a Natural is."  
  
"A Natural?" Tonks repeated dubiously, "I don't think I've ever heard of that before. Why?"  
  
"That's what Harry is evidently," Ron said.  
  
"Lucius wrote in his journal that Voldemort shouldn't try to kill me because I'm a Natural," Harry elaborated.  
  
"Uh-huh," Tonks responded, chewing her bottom lip, "I'll see if Dumbledore knows."  
  
"Okay, but don't make it into a big deal," Harry pleaded.  
  
"Now, we really need to discuss Monday's class," Tonks said, "Ron – would you  
  
mind —."  
  
"You want me to leave?"Ron asked.  
  
"Please."  
  
Ron grumbled under his breath but headed for the door nonetheless.  
  
"Bye, love!" Tonks called.  
  
Ron's head snapped around, his face flaming, "er...bye to you too."  
  
Once the door was safely shut, Harry shook his head authoritively, "Shame, shame..."  
  
"Yes, I know," Tonks retorted, "I'm a horrible person. I deserve to be — ."  
  
"Dunked in a vat of peanut butter?" Harry offered.  
  
"Enough with the peanut butter!" Tonks snapped, the corners of her mouth twitching.  
  
Harry threw his hands up in surrender.  
  
"I need you to teach your class on Monday," Tonks said, handing Harry a folder of notes.  
  
"But, I'm not any good at – ."  
  
"Harry, shut up," Tonks interjected, "You are a better teacher than you may think you are. Now, these notes are only if you can't think of anything to teach on, but I'm sure you can come up with something creative."  
  
Harry glared at Tonks, "And where will you be?"  
  
"I have some Auror business I must attend to," Tonks replied loftily.  
  
The fireplace in Tonks's room began to crackle and the flames turned a vivid green. Dumbledore's head soon appeared, floating about in the fire.  
  
"May I speak to Harry for a moment, Tonks?"  
  
"Certainly," Tonks gestured for Harry to come closer to the grate.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
Dumbledore seemed solemn like he was bearing heavy news, which was making Harry anxious, "Is anything wrong, Professor?"  
  
"No, Harry, but I understand that you received a letter this morning from the Ministry requesting you to attend another Wizengamot trial?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"The minister and I have discussed your summons and have decided it would not be necessary for you to attend this particular trial," Dumbledore said carefully.  
  
"And why not?" Harry replied heatedly.  
  
Dumbledore sighed, "If you must know, the Aurors happened to capture the traitor, Peter Pettigrew, and due to the situation, I believe that it would be advisable that you do not attend. You may, of course, review the case beforehand and place a vote, but it is not necessary that you be at the actual trial."  
  
"You got him!" Harry clamored closer to the fire, "They caught him? Has he confessed? What will they do with him! I want to go!"  
  
"Harry — ."  
  
"In fact, I demand to go!"  
  
Dumbledore eyed Harry warily, "I'm afraid that I cannot permit that. Although you have the right to attend as a member of the Wizengamot, I'm afraid that my power as your headmaster supercedes that right. I need to return to some business now, Harry. Thank-you, Tonks, for allowing me to interrupt."  
  
And before Harry could argue, Dumbledore's head disappeared from the fire.  
  
Harry was angry. It would be his chance to pull the truth out of his father and godfather's traitor, to make him known for the rat that he was, to know the pleasure of seeing the dementors cart him off to life imprisonment in Azkaban. But Dumbledore wasn't going to let him go because he thought Harry would throw a fit at the trial. Harry was disgusted with Dumbledore's logic, and his disgust fed his fury.  
  
"Um...Harry," Tonks said fearfully.  
  
"What?" Harry sneered.  
  
"I - I think you broke my vase."  
  
Harry looked at the floor around him. There were shards of the vase that normally sat on Tonks's fireplace mantle scattered around him.  
  
"Sorry about that," Harry mumbled, "Little angry, I guess."  
  
"Harry, don't be angry with Dumbledore for not letting you go. It's for the best really. And it's not just because it's you."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Harry spat.  
  
"Yes, it is because it's the truth. All of the Order members have been restricted in what they can be involved in. Remus hasn't been allowed to see Pettigrew either, even though other Order members have. Dumbledore doesn't want him to do anything rash. Last year, I was detained from a mission because an enemy of mine was involved. Dumbledore does it for the best. Ever wander why Snape has never been given the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? It's because Dumbledore doesn't want him to become 'addicted' to the practice of dark arts again."  
  
Harry looked defiantly away.  
  
"Listen to me, Harry," Tonks stood up and walked over to lay a hand on his shoulder, "You are a very strong wizard. Your presence has the same effect on some people as Dumbledore's or Snape's. And you're a wonderful person. But you will be even stronger and more wonderful and more dominating if you learn when to control your temper and what is the best way to go about all situations. Being rash is very dangerous. And you and I both know that if you had the chance to be in the same room as Pettigrew today, you would try to kill him and you wouldn't be able to refrain yourself. So, Dumbledore is helping you to refrain yourself by not attending. You can still place your vote to have him executed or imprisoned or whatnot. You can do your bit."  
  
"Yeah," Harry heaved a sigh, "You're right."  
  
Tonks smiled, "I know, isn't it great?"  
  
Harry laughed half-heartedly, "I'll go start working on Monday's lesson. I promise they'll learn something productive."  
  
"And if not productive, something entertaining at least?" Tonks called as Harry left her room.  
  
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
It was very odd. Very odd. It was midnight, and not one fifth-year boy had returned to the common room or could be found in the dormitory. Suspicious, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map to locate them. Dean and Neville were down in the kitchens, and according to the map – Ron and Seamus were hanging outside the window. Harry leaned out the window, craning his neck to the right and the left. He heard a whistle above him. Looking up, he saw Ron and Seamus hovering over a window to the far right – the girl's dormitory. Cursing under his breath, Harry threw on a heavy cloak and grabbed his Firebolt to join them.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry asked as he flew out to them.  
  
"SHHHH!" Ron and Seamus swatted at them.  
  
Ron inched his broom closer to Harry, "The girls are having a _slumber_ _party_," he said, ecstatic.  
  
"Is that supposed to explain why you're out here in the freezing cold, fawning over their window?"  
  
"Evidently, Hermione has never let them have one in peace, so their doing it tonight while she's in the hospital wing!"  
  
Ron extracted three pairs of Extendable Ears from his pocket and handed one to each Harry and Seamus, "Make mental notes. Everything goes on the board."  
  
Seamus gratefully accepted one, cramming it into his ear and listening intently. Harry snatched his from Ron's hand and tried to muster his best reproachful look. He thought it was horrible that Ron could be so involved with the other girls while Hermione was lying in the hospital after an unexplainable seizure. However, the girls' conversation soon distracted him.  
  
"– yeah, but I hate it when she makes her hair pink. The purple can be cute, but the pink is too bubblegummy," Parvati said.  
  
"You know who has it bad for Professor Tonks?" giggled Lavender.  
  
"Who?"asked Ginny (Harry was rather taken aback that Ginny would be involved in this ridiculous powwow.)  
  
"Ron Weasley."  
  
Ron nearly fell of his broom. He grabbed a gargoyle for support, whimpering. Seamus raised his eyebrows, as if asking if it was true. Ron shook his head furiously and whispered, "I prefer blondes."  
  
This apparently okayed it with Seamus, who nodded in agreement, "Me too, mate."  
  
"Hear that Parvati? Ron Weasley seems to like a girl like Tonks. Maybe you should learn to morph your facial features."  
  
There was a round of giggles. Ron was now helplessly clinging to the gargoyle.  
  
"What kind of girl do you think Harry Potter goes for?" asked a girl who's voice Harry couldn't make out.  
  
Ron and Seamus gave Harry questioning looks.  
  
"Ooh," one of the girls cooed, "that's a hard one."  
  
"Well, he and Cho had a thing for a while," Lavender said, "But that ended pretty nasty, and from what I hear, he broke up with her."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. Girls were worthless.  
  
"I bet he likes girls that can duel," Parvati whispered conspiratorially.  
  
"What do you think, Ginny? You're around him a lot."  
  
There was silence, and Harry was trying his best to mentally keep Ginny from saying anything.  
  
"I wouldn't know really," Ginny said quietly, "It's Harry. He doesn't really share stuff like that."  
  
"What does he talk about?"  
  
Harry could hear Ginny stammering a bit.  
  
"School and you know, about other pressing things — ."  
  
One of the girls sighed, "She means about Death Eaters and mortal peril."  
  
They was a round of collective sighs. Ron's body was racking with laughter, and Seamus was pretending to faint at the sight of Harry. Harry knocked Ron's broom with the end of the Firebolt, and for a brief moment Ron dangled dangerously from his gargoyle.  
  
"I'm going to kill your sister," Harry mouthed.  
  
"He saved me from a basilisk once, you know," Ginny said excitedly, gathering confidence from the other girls' rapt attention, "Killed it with a sword."  
  
More sighing and groaning. Harry couldn't listen to much more.  
  
"Call me if they collect their wits about them," Harry muttered, turning his Firebolt to fly off.  
  
Ron grabbed onto his cloak though, "I'm sure it'll be over soon. Stay."  
  
Harry scowled but inched against the building again, angrily jamming the Extendable Ear back into his ear just in time to hear —  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
"Hey guys," Hermione's voice said wearily.  
  
"I thought you were in the hospital wing," Parvati said, obviously disappointed to see her.  
  
"Missed you too," Hermione grumbled, "Listen guys, I'm really sorry, but I desperately need sleep, so if you could carry on in the fifth year dorms —."  
  
"We're quite comfy here, thanks."  
  
"Are you feeling better, Hermione?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Yes, thanks, Gin. Although, it's a bit hot in here, don't you think? We usually keep a window open — ."  
  
"_You_ usually keep a window open," Lavender corrected, "If you wouldn't wear that huge dressing gown then you wouldn't get so hot — ."  
  
"I prefer not to traipse around half clothed," Hermione retorted.  
  
Her voice was getting progressively louder Harry noticed.  
  
"Crap," Ron muttered, "She's walking to the window."  
  
Seamus's eyes grew fearfully.  
  
"She won't see us," Ron said, trying to convince himself more than the other two.  
  
"So, Hermione," one of the girls said, "we were just talking about Harry."  
  
Hermione grunted.  
  
"You know, about what kind of girl he'd like. What's your opinion?"  
  
"That'd Harry stupefy the lot of you if he ever knew you were discussing that."  
  
"Good girl," Harry whispered, beaming with pride.  
  
They could hear her fiddling with the window latch.  
  
"Oh, come on," Parvati pressed, "It's innocent chit-chat. You must have some idea — ."  
  
The window swung open, and not four feet below them they could see Hermione stick her head out the window, breathing in the night air. Then she looked to the roof below her, frowning. Harry anxiously looked around and realized that their shadows were dancing against the lower roof. Ron and Seamus had noticed too because neither was daring to breathe.  
  
"I mean," Parvati continued, "Does he like sweet girls or sarcastic girls or — ."  
  
Inevitably, Hermione looked above her, taking in Harry, Ron, and Seamus stock still on their brooms, cloaks billowing about them, their Extendable Ears swinging in the cold night wind. They could see her roll her eyes, which were glinting treacherously.  
  
"Well," Hermione drawled, as if beginning a juicy story, "maybe Harry does have some standards."  
  
She pulled her body back into the room.  
  
"No, no, no, no, no," Harry grumbled softly.  
  
"He likes a girl that's persistent. If you like him, you just go up to him and tell him, and then never leave him alone. He _loves_ that."  
  
Harry could almost hear the dangerous smile in Hermione's voice.  
  
"Seriously?" one of the girls asked dubiously.  
  
"Yeah," Hermione said, "Harry's a little quirky like that. But I mean, what do you expect? He's been fighting dark wizards since his first year. That makes a guy a little more mysterious and mature, you know."  
  
There were murmurs of agreement.  
  
"You -- mysterious and mature?" Ron repeated, baffled.  
  
Harry kicked the wall in frustration, forgetting he was in his socked feet.  
  
"Have you ever seen him fight a dark wizard?" Lavender asked excitedly.  
  
"Of course," Hermione answered, amiably, "He's fearless — ."  
  
Harry bit down hard on his lip.  
  
"— he'll taunt them for a bit, figure out what they want with him, then he'll just start attacking, an endless volley of advanced spells — ."  
  
"I swear...." Harry growled through clenched teeth.  
  
Ron cast him a deeply sympathetic look. Seamus, however, was staring in amazement, "Is that true?" he croaked.  
  
"No!" Harry snapped.  
  
Seamus recoiled in fright.  
  
"I wish I could see him duel...." a girl moaned.  
  
"Oh, it's _amazing_," Hermione said, the mockery dripping from her voice, "although it's kind of hard to tell what's going on you know. He's dodging spells and rolling out of the way so fast."  
  
There was a chorus of "ohs."  
  
Harry was a deep shade of scarlet and trembling from rage.  
  
"So..." Parvati approached her question carefully, "he doesn't have a new...crush, does he?"  
  
"Oh," Hermione replied cautiously, "I - I don't know if I should tell you who it is...."  
  
"You mean, there is someone?" a girl prompted.  
  
"It's all right, 'Mione, you can tell us," Parvati said, soothingly, "It's not like we're going to let Harry know. That'd be silly of us."  
  
"Well," Hermione sighed in mock defeat, "_all_ _right_ — ."  
  
Harry shook his fists at the window below him, "I ought to go in there and — ."  
  
Ron covered his mouth, "Shh...I want to hear...."  
  
Harry snapped his head around to face Ron, intensifying his glare, "Finish that sentence," he challenged.  
  
Hermione continued speaking, "Now you have to promise not to tell — ."  
  
"We promise!"  
  
"– but he has this mad crush on...you, Lavender."  
  
There was an earth shaking squeal and then lots of squeals and finally a coherent, "Oh my! OH MY! IT'S ME!"  
  
Shaking his head in disbelief, Harry confirmed his own earlier suspicion that _girls were worthless_.  
  
"The surprise is nothing compared to _Ron's_ crush though," Hermione continued, evily.  
  
Ron was applying so much angry pressure to the gargoyle that Harry was sure he'd rip its head off.  
  
"Do tell!" Parvati shrieked.  
  
"Do tell!" Ron mimicked wrathfully in a high-pitched voice.  
  
"Eloise Midgen," Hermione disclosed.  
  
Harry and Seamus had to grab Ron around the middle and hold him and his broom against the wall to keep him from hurtling into the girls' dormitory.  
  
"I would never had guessed," Lavender said as if it was a shame.  
  
Ron's broom made a sudden lurch and broke free of Harry and Seamus's grasp. Harry tried to block Ron from going down, but in his anger Ron tried to swerve around Harry and ran into Seamus, who grabbed him by the ankle. He held Ron just long enough for Harry to barrel into his midriff and get a good hold on his cloak. But no one, no one accused Ron of liking Eloise Midgen, and Ron wriggled out of their hold and made a dive, which Harry and Seamus pursued. A miscalculated swerve of Seamus's broom, and Ron, Harry, and he were tangled in a mass. They tried to rip free but in their attempt noisily rammed into the side of the tower as they fell downward. The noise aroused the girls who ran to the window. After spinning in a collective ball, angrily pounding against each other, the boys fell in a heap on the lower roof.  
  
"Quick, pull your hoods up," Harry ordered.  
  
They stood, brushing themselves off and inspecting their brooms, their black hoods pulled tight around them.  
  
"Death Eaters! DEATH EATERS!" were the screams from the girls' room.  
  
Harry could hear the pounding of feet and more screams of, "Get Harry! HARRY, HELP! THE DEATH EATERS!"  
  
Then they vanished, and Ron, Harry, and Seamus looked up to the window from where they stood, bruised and cold on the roof. Hermione and Ginny were hanging out the window, waving fervently.  
  
"G'night, boys!" Hermione called, blowing a kiss.  
  
"Don't stay up too long!" Ginny added, winking.  
  
"Oh, and Harry," Hermione simpered, "would you get rid of the Death Eaters before the girls get back? Thanks!"  
  
"They die in their sleep!" Ron roared, waving his broom above him threateningly.  
  
They returned to their dormitory to find Dean and Neville eating on a pile of food they brought back from the kitchens.  
  
"Er, hey..." Dean said as they flew in the window.  
  
"Don't ask," Harry said, shoving his Extendable Ears back at Ron.  
  
"Um, Harry," Neville said nervously, "why did Lavender just run in here yelling for you and saying she was being attacked by Death Eaters?"  
  
"_Hermione_," Harry, Ron, and Seamus bellowed, throwing themselves on their beds and ripping the curtains closed.  
  
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
Hermione dragged Harry and Ron to the Room of Requirement on Sunday morning.  
  
"Can't believe how much time we lost while I was in the hospital wing...."  
  
It didn't seem to occur to her that they might be a little peeved after the previous night. She bustled into their study, talking as she straightened some papers and lit a fire. Then quite abruptly, she sighed and turned to them, "You're not still mad about last night, are you?"  
  
"Well, I don't know," Harry said, "Perhaps you should ask Lavender...she's been with me constantly since you revealed my _harbored love for her_."  
  
"I haven't had time to reflect on my feelings," Ron commented, "_Eloise Midgen_ waits for no man."  
  
"It's your own fault for hovering outside our window, _really_," Hermione said, exasperated.  
  
Harry, still repeating Tonks's words from the day before in his head, calmly suggested they forget about it and move on with their decoding for the Order. Hermione and Ron gazed at him, wide-eyed.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we should ---," Ron finally conceded.  
  
"But first," Harry interrupted, "I want to ask you, Hermione, what happened yesterday."  
  
"Yes, I need to tell you about that...."  
  
They all took seats next to the fire, the boys hanging on Hermione's every word.  
  
"Nothing happened before the seizure or whatever it was. They don't really know. I think that's the only thing they can relate it to really. I just started shaking, and there were pinpoints of bright light in my eyes, and my head hurt. But...something very interesting happened while I was out."  
  
"What?" Ron asked.  
  
"It was like a dream, I guess. And that may have been all that it was, but..."  
  
"You can tell us," Harry reassured.  
  
"I know. Um, well it was like I was swimming in this powerful...dense water...and I saw Bellatrix Lestrange's face for a moment, and then it just got dark."  
  
Harry and Ron remained silent, trying to make something of Hermione's vision.  
  
"Harry," Hermione addressed him nervously, scooting closer to him, "do you think it could have been V-Voldemort..again? Like before."  
  
"But you saw Lestrange — ."  
  
"I know, but if he's trying to open up my mind or something...he could have been trying to plant a memory. Imagine if I woke up in the hospital wing saying that Bellatrix Lestrange had tried to attack me at the quidditch match. Everyone would know I was crazy, but I would have this fake memory, so...it would be all confusing and I would feel as if I was going mad."  
  
"Why would Voldemort want to do that to you though?" Harry asked.  
  
"To drive you crazy."  
  
"I don't — ."  
  
"Lestrange killed Sirius. You hate her. Voldemort knows this, and he knows that you'd try to believe me, try to help me. He could use other memories. He might plant a memory in Ron of seeing Scabbers in the castle again or something. He would get you all worked up for nothing."  
  
"Like he did with Sirius last year," Harry reasoned.  
  
"Yes," Hermione confirmed hesitantly.  
  
"Well, it didn't seem to work this time. You must have a strong mind," Harry smiled.  
  
"We should be on our guard though. Especially since he's already tried to taunt you by attacking Godric's Hollow and killing Madeleine McGonagall."  
  
"We will be."  
  
They worked for a couple of hours on decoding parchments. Harry would tell each parchment to "reveal yourself" and then Ron and Hermione would start reading from the stacks of letters and journal entries, dividing them into categories : For/From Death Eaters, For Voldemort, Personal, Dark Arts Instructions, Maps, etc. It wasn't until nearly lunch that Harry suddenly realized that he hadn't told Hermione about Pettigrew's capture. He quickly relayed it to her, and she, unsurprisingly, supported Dumbledore's decision of forbidding Harry to go to the trial. Then Harry told both Ron and Hermione that he would be teaching their Defense class the following day.  
  
"Oooh, what will we be doing?" Hermione prodded.  
  
"Um...not going to tell you," Harry grinned.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"That's right, mate. Make her crazy," Ron mumbled from his position bent over Lucius Malfoy's journal, "The bloke gels his hair eight times a day! Says so right here!"  
  
Hermione brushed aside Ron's comment and continued to hound Harry, "Just tell me if it'll be a spell or a creature or — ."  
  
"No, you'll just have to wait and see."  
  
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
In truth, Harry had no idea what he was going to teach the next day. He spent Sunday afternoon finishing his Transfiguration and Potions homework, knowing he wasn't putting an acceptable amount of time into it. And Sunday night he sat on his bed, the curtains drawn around him, willing an idea to come to him. He even flipped through Tonks's notes, but he didn't want to show them shielding spells, which was her suggestion. His meditation was interrupted when he heard the door creak open. He remained silent, figuring that one of the guys was going to bed. But then he heard his trunk being eased open as well. He very gradually inched to the edge of the bed and peered out of the curtains, his wand ready. He saw no one, but he _felt_ as if someone else was in the room with him and seeing his trunk still open, an idea occurred to him.  
  
"Reveal yourself," Harry muttered, pointing his wand a bit to the left of the trunk.  
  
The invisibility cloak materialized, as well as a trembling Ginny.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry breathed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry, really. I was going to ask you, but I couldn't find you — ."  
  
Harry held up his hand to silence her, "It's – it's okay, Gin."  
  
Ginny let the cloak fall off her shoulders, and she held it out for Harry to take.  
  
"You take it," Harry said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"But out of curiosity, what did you need it for?" Harry asked.  
  
"Malfoy had to go off duty because a man came to discuss some family business matters with him, but I just know that it's a Death Eater, Harry."  
  
"What did he look like?"  
  
"He's pale and tall. He has a little mustache and talks in a very deep voice."  
  
"Seems vaguely familiar....where are they?"  
  
"They went towards the dungeons."  
  
"I'll go with you," Harry said, reaching for his shoes under the bed.  
  
"You don't have to do that — ."  
  
"Let me put it this way – I'm going with you."  
  
Ginny smiled, "Thanks, Harry."  
  
Harry grabbed the Marauder's Map and told Ginny to throw the cloak over both of them.  
  
"Man, this is weird," Ginny said has they huddled under the cloak.  
  
"It used to fit Ron, Hermione, and me under here. Ron's way too tall now."  
  
"What about you!" Ginny exclaimed.  
  
"Thankfully, my growth has always been stunted."  
  
They slithered through the common room, avoiding an awkward pass through a row Hermione and Ron were having:  
  
"Honestly, Ron! It's like you don't care about the Goblin Wars of 1367!"  
  
"I'll clear it up for you right now, Hermione — ." Ron cleared it up in a string of swear words.  
  
"RON! LANGUAGE!"  
  
"YOU DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THE SWEARING WHEN BINNS WAS QUOTING THAT BLASTED GOBLIN LEADER — ."  
  
"It's a famous quote!"  
  
"YOU _WROTE IT DOWN_!"  
  
"Your point?"  
  
"You swore in writing!"  
  
Hermione gasped in indignation.  
  
Harry nudged open the portrait hole.  
  
"Are they always like that?" Ginny asked once they were in the corridor.  
  
"Only when Ron's not busy eating."  
  
"It must be awful listening to that everyday."  
  
"You get used to it."  
  
Harry consulted the map.  
  
"Looks like Malfoy and a man named Kismer are in a room near Snape's office."  
  
"Ever heard of him?"  
  
"No."  
  
They walked to the room in silence.  
  
"This is it," Harry pointed out the door."  
  
"Great," Ginny whispered, fishing around in her robes. She withdrew a pair of Extendable Ears, "These things are terrific, aren't they?"  
  
Harry winced. He still carried painful memories of being idolized then falling on a roof.  
  
"We'll have to share," she said, passing him one fleshy cord.  
  
They could hear a deep voice reading off a long list of numbers, "— and finally, Mister Malfoy, you are bequeathed a secondary vault located at Gringotts. The estimated value of its contents is 5457 galleons. However, in his will, your father requests that you not enter nor withdraw from this vault."  
  
"And why not?" Malfoy drawled.  
  
"He does not say why but these are his wishes. Now, I must be running. If you would just sign here, your father's estate will be turned over to you."  
  
There was a scratching of a pen. Ginny pulled Harry over as the door swung open.  
  
"Thank you for your time, Mister Malfoy. I am terribly sorry for your loss."  
  
"No loss of mine," Malfoy commented coldly.  
  
"Yes, of course," the man laughed bitterly, "quite the gain, I'd say."  
  
They departed in different directions. Once both sets of footsteps were well out of earshot, Harry looked down at Ginny.  
  
"I had no idea," Ginny muttered, "Why wouldn't he tell me that his father died?"  
  
"Why wouldn't there be anything about it in the Prophet is what I'd like to know," Harry said.  
  
Ginny slumped against the wall, pulling out of the concealment of the cloak. Harry, fearing Snape would walk by any moment, joined her on the floor, wrapping the cloak around her again.  
  
"I thought that he trusted me," Ginny said hollowly.  
  
Harry bit his lip. He was beginning to realize where this was going.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ginny."  
  
"I guess there really is nothing else to him, is there?" she said, sighing.  
  
"Truthfully," Harry mused, "I don't think so. Not yet."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that Malfoy has a lot of choices to make, and we won't know what kind of person he is until he makes those choices. You don't have to hate him or think him evil, but don't put all your trust in him. Don't waste time on him until you know for sure what person he chooses to be. You get what I'm saying?" Harry wavered.  
  
Ginny thoughtfully drew her knees up to her chin and rested her head on them, looking at Harry, "I hope he chooses to be like you."  
  
Harry laughed, "You obviously don't have all the facts."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes, "So modest..."  
  
"Now, you're just going on like Hermione."  
  
Harry pulled Ginny to her feet, securing the cloak around them.  
  
"_Lavender_ can't wait until she can see you in class tomorrow,"Ginny teased.  
  
Harry groaned, "Another reason to indulge in a Skiving Snackbox in the morning."  
  
They passed through the Entrance Hall.  
  
"What's the other reason?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I have to teach sixth year Defense."  
  
"Really? What are you going to do?"  
  
"I – don't – know," Harry confessed, "Although...I sort of had an idea...but I don't know if it would work."  
  
"What is it?" Ginny asked, tugging on Harry's arm like an inquisitive child.  
  
"How would you like to be a test subject?"  
  
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
Breakfast the following day was overall the worst in all of Harry's years at Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron weren't speaking to each other, Harry was sick with worry over his Defense lesson, the _Daily Prophet_ remarked on Pettigrew's trial, which made Harry even more ill – only with fury, and Lavender was being _insufferable_.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" she squealed, squeezing into the little space separating him and Hermione.  
  
"Hey," Harry grunted.  
  
"So...when's the first DA meeting? We are still doing it, right? I so loved learning from you —."  
  
Hermione had a sudden coughing fit followed by several strong hacks from Ron.  
  
"Oh, I do hope your friends are all right," Lavender cooed, inching as far away from Hermione as possible.  
  
"They'll be fine."  
  
Lavender continued to cling to Harry through breakfast until she was able to approach the thing most weighing on her mind, "So..._Harry_...there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon. I was wondering if you'd like to make the trip with me?"  
  
Harry had a fleeting image of the tearoom and the confetti and the cherubs. He had to get rid of Lavender.  
  
"Can't. Hermione already asked me."  
  
Hermione spewed out her pumpkin juice on the _Daily Prophet_ owl that had just delivered her paper. Lavender detached herself from Harry and turned to Hermione, looking her up and down.  
  
"He likes me, huh?" she whispered, throwing her legs over the bench and stomping off.  
  
"_Harry_!" Hermione seethed, "What possessed you to —."  
  
"You give me a _mad_ crush, I give you a _mad_ crush."  
  
Hermione glared.  
  
"Now, I must get ready for my Defense lesson. It should be quite interesting."  
  
Harry got up and slung his bag on his shoulder.  
  
"Bye, hun," he smiled as he walked away.  
  
Somewhere behind him Ron snickered, dribbling syrup down his chin.  
  
A/N: I wrote this chapter more for fun than substance, but the next chapter starts with the Defense lesson! And some more with the helfdare. And maybe they'll actually DO something about Hermione's seizure. Please Review! God Bless!  
  
. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling does. It's all very simple.

Chapter Twelve

They were all seated....waiting patiently...watching his every move. Harry apprehensively pulled a stool to the front of Tonks's classroom. One step at a time...one step at a time, he kept repeating to himself. Step one, sit. Harry sat. They stared at him, excitement and nervousness etched on their faces. Step two, smile. Something like a crooked sneer appeared on Harry's face. A girl on the front row looked away painfully. Abort step two! Abort step two! Harry rebuked himself. And speak....

"Obviously, Tonks isn't here today," Harry said, his voice carrying through the unnaturally silent room.

It reminded him of his speech in the Hog's Head the previous year. They were probably expecting something similar, come to think of it.

"So...I'll be teaching your lesson."

A Ravenclaw on the second row rolled his eyes. In a flash, Harry's wand was drawn, and the Ravenclaw was looking fearfully at him.

"Did you see me draw the wand?" Harry asked.

The Ravenclaw shook his head.

"That's because you were rolling your eyes," Harry explained.

All the other pupils turned to stare at the Ravenclaw boy, branding him with shame.

"It's all right," Harry said, easing their vindictive stares, "Just thought I'd take that opportunity to slip in a lesson in constant vigilance: never, ever, ever take your eyes off your opponent - even to mock them."

Hermione had pulled out paper and pen and was furiously scribbling down everything Harry said.

"Okay...guys, today's lesson is a little weird, and to be honest, I don't know if it's going to work. But I'm going to try," Harry's eyes moved around the room, finally resting on Parvati, "Parvati, would you help me demonstrate?"

Parvati, pretending to be caught off guard, giggled softly and beamed, jumping from her seat to join Harry at the front of the room.

"It's important to know what your greatest strength is because your strength is what you need to utilize in battle. It's also important to know what your greatest weakness is so that you can work diligently on trying to improve in that area. Now, I picked up a nifty little spell -- it's in English, actually, not our usual Latin, so that shows you how unique and rarely used it is, but it should help you figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are."

Hermione stopped writing and stared at Harry. She knew there was no such thing as a spell in English, but Harry didn't have time to worry about that. This was important.

"Ready, Parvati?" Harry asked, smiling at her gently.

"Yeah," Parvati sighed.

Harry braced himself, pointing his wand at Parvati's collarbone, "Reveal the strength."

A swirl of silver threads, much likes those found in a Pensieve, circled Parvati's head and neck, finally materializing into a silvery wisp that resembled a girl sneaking around two other figures, apparently oblivious to her presence. The girl then drifted away, unnoticed. The silvery vapor evaporated.

The class sat stunned. No one moved, everyone just sat...staring at Parvati and Harry, their mouths hanging open.

"And that's how it's done!" Harry said, clapping his hands, "You can go back to your seat Parvati."

She drifted back to her seat, much like her vapor-miniature drifted about the other figures.

"Now, can anyone tell me what Parvati's strength is?"

Hermione, of course, raised her hand. Harry nodded for her to answer.

"Stealth," Hermione answered quietly.

"Yes. Parvati would be an excellent spy because she has the strength of stealth. She's good at being in the right places, unnoticed, and remembering what she heard. Now, the rest of you are going to perform this on a neighbor, so choose someone you trust. And remember the English incantation 'Reveal the strength' and for weakness, 'Reveal the weakness.'"

The class began dispersing in pairs, talking loudly. Quickly, before they started working on the incantations, Harry whispered, "Reveal strengths and weaknesses of all upon their command," his wand held to the room.

He then joined Ron and Hermione in the back of the room - where he was immediately greeted with a reprimand.

"Using commanding magic in front of people!" Hermione chided, "Really, an English spell? That's rich," she snorted.

"They don't know," Harry argued, "Besides, I think it's very important they know their strengths and weaknesses - ."

"Yes, yes," Hermione cut him off, "But at the cost of discretion. And how do you expect them to perform this little spell of your's. Not everyone can issue even the most simple of commands."

"I commanded that it be revealed on their command -- ."

"Wicked, Harry!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione had to take a moment to think through all the possible consequences, "I suppose it'll be all right. Harm's done now anyway...."

"Great! Now I want to hear all about your strengths and weakness, okay?" Harry said before going to check on the other students.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Who would imagine that my strength was _archery_?" Dean said later that afternoon when he and Harry ran into each other in the dormitory.

"Hey, you never know...."Harry said.

"So, what was your's?" Dean asked.

"Um...I haven't done myself yet," Harry responded truthfully.

"You're crazy, man. Crazy," Dean muttered as he left the room.

That was the reason Harry had come up to his room in the middle of the afternoon. He couldn't bring himself to watch his strength and weakness the night before when he was practicing on Ginny. He wasn't surprised to discover that her strength was the power to manipulate. Ginny had always been good at convincing people into doing things they didn't want to do. Her weakness, however, had pained him. It was the memory of her first year and the events of Tom Riddle. He had told Ginny that one of the Death Eaters' and Voldemort's favorite ways to torture people was to make them relive painful memories, and before he knew it, he was insisting on using his little knowledge of Legilimency to make her relive those memories so she could learn to face them.

Harry had a secret reason for wanting to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses. He wanted to give a structure to the DA. Soon most of the original members would be out of Hogwarts - some of them already were - and they would be able to join the Order of the Phoenix, and he wanted the Order to be able to use them to the best of their abilities. He thought it was a rather brilliant idea of his, personally, but he was waiting for the right time to tell Ron and Hermione that this is what he was up to.

And so, after procrastinating for a deplorable amount of time, Harry pointed his wand to his collarbone and said, "Reveal the weakness." The same thing that had happened with Parvati occured, and Harry was surrounded by threads of silvery mist. Then, a Harry figure materialized, and he was surrounded by several other less distinct figures. The Harry figure began to hug each of the figures in turn. The vapor evaporated.

Love. His weakness was love. He could deal with that. _Love?_ All the others had understandable weaknesses like fear of heights, poor jinxes, and stubbornness. His was _love._

He lifted his wand and repeated the command, only asking for strength. The same figures appeared, and yet again, the Harry figure began embracing the other figures. _And his strength was love. _ Frustrated, Harry swiped at the vapor and grabbed his cloak, leaving the evaporating mist behind.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry roamed the castle until he saw Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna stretched out underneath a tree outside a South Wing window. He hastily joined them. His intention was to sneak up behind them and scare Hermione and Ginny, but Hermione turned around just as he exited the castle and waved him over. They were surrounded by books and homework papers that were threatening to blow away in the wind. Ron was snoring lightly, obviously working industriously as always. Harry made a spot between Hermione and Ginny.

"Isn't it a bit chilly out here?" Harry asked, a mid-November wind whipping about him

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling out her wand, "_Incoftale_."

Harry felt a warmth spread throughout his body and he realized that Hermione had used an intensive heating charm.

"Thanks," he said.

"I hear you and Hermione have a date for this Hogsmeade weekend," Ginny said.

Hermione mumbled something that sounded like, "Spite...pure spite."

"Only if Lavender's around," Harry laughed.

"You mean you were only kidding?" Hermione asked, appearing hurt.

"Uh..."Harry was lost. What happened? She knew he was kidding, right? _Why was Ron asleep when you needed him_, "Er...not if you don't want me to have kidded?" Harry stammered, shooting her an agonizingly confused look.

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "I was _joking_."

"Oh!" Harry cried, relieved, "You really should warn me before you do that."

Luna looked up from her book, "You're dating?"

"NO!" Hermione said, harshly, "Why does everyone think that!"

"Well," Harry analyzed, "You did say some _awfully nice_ things about me the other night...." he sighed, as if reveling in the memory, "How mysterious and mature and -- ."

"Yes, I remember, thank-you," Hermione snapped, "It always comes back to harm _me_!"

Harry basked in his forged warmth and pleasantly read over Hermione's shoulder has she corrected Ron's Charms essay until Neville called from a distance and ran over to them.

"Hey, everyone," he said in greeting, throwing his bag onto the ground and sitting across from Harry.

"Hey, Neville," they smiled.

"I've ben in the greenhouses, trying to rake in some extra credit...."

He was in the middle of explaining a complicated way to prune Devil's Snare so that the vines would grow three times as fast, not that Harry could imagine why anyone would want Devil's Snare to grow three times as fast, when a ruffled owl flew low over them and dropped an envelope in Neville's lap.

"I wonder what this could -- ."

The envelope was red.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear -- ," Neville repeated, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Just open it," Ginny urged him.

Neville nodded and with shaking hands, peeled away the flap of the envelope. The envelope snapped from his hands and fluttered before him, screeching.

"WHAT _ON EARTH _WERE YOU DOING IN _HOGSMEADE _WITHOUT PERMISSION -- ."

It was the voice of his elderly grandmother, screaming at the top her lungs. The shrieks stirred Ron, but after Hermione told him it was a Howler, he rolled back over and returned to his nap.

"-- AND WHY _ON EARTH_ DO YOU NEED BOOMSLANG SKIN, KNOTGRASS, AND A SKIVING SNACKBOX! DUMBLEDORE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO INFORM ME THAT YOU WERE SAFE WHEN A FRIEND TOLD ME SHE'D SEEN YOU PARADING AROUND, BUYING EVERYTHING IN THE APOTHECARY! SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU HAD THE MONEY TO GO BUYING NONSENSE! I BETTER _NEVER_ GET A SCARE LIKE THAT AGAIN, HEAR ME, YOUNG MAN!!!"

The envelope caught on fire and disintegrated. Neville looked around at them glumly.

"At least it came to me out here and not in the Great Hall."

"Why were you in Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked.

"I just...was having a bad day...and I wanted to get away, and this first year told me about a passage into Honeydukes -- ."

"How did a first year know about -- ," Hermione slowly turned and pulled herself up to her full height, hovering over Ron, "_RON_! Wake up! RON!"

She leaned down to pinch his arm.

"Owww! It's biting me! It's biting -- ."

Hermione grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her, "You - are - a - _PREFECT_!"

Her voice carried across the grounds almost as well as Mrs. Longbottom's. Ron cowered in confusion and fear, squeaking a generic explanation that he always used when Hermione was mad and he didn't know why.

"Oh no! Here comes another one!" Neville cried, pointing to an owl in the distance.

The bird swooped down over the grounds, barreling towards them. Its flight sparked something of recognition in Harry's mind.

"It's a helfdare," he said.

Hermione released Ron's chin and squinted at the approaching bird. Indeed, the lopsided raven dropped threateningly over them. In one fluid movement, Harry drew his wand, pointed it at the bird and yelled, "BURN!" A ball of fire jetted from his wand and swallowed the bird, which caught on fire, then disappeared, leaving no remains.

"So that's how I did it before," Harry mused.

"What was that thing doing here!" Ginny slid towards Harry.

"Voldemort," Harry sighed, "Nice try!" he shouted to the empty sky.

"I'm famished," Ron said inappropriately.

"Me too," agreed Neville.

"Let's go to the kitchens," suggested Harry, pulling himself from the ground.

Everyone except Hermione gathered their things.

"But shouldn't we discuss this!" she called from her kneeling position under the tree.

"Nothing to discuss!" Harry replied, motioning for her to hurry up.

"Urgh! A little exertion and you just _have to have_ _food_," Hermione scolded as she jogged to catch up with them.

"Hey, that was a _serious_ nap," Ron said matter-of-factly.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dobby greeted them at the entrance to the kitchen. Ecstatic to see them, he ushered Harry and the others to a table by the fireplace and took requests. Ron pretty much asked for the Halloween feast. It wasn't until Ron's face was buried in a pumpkin pie and Neville, Ginny, and Luna were fighting over the last treacle tart that Harry noticed Hermione seemed downcast.

"What's up?" he asked.

Hermione looked at him vacantly, "Dobby....he...."

"What about him?" Harry asked, looking behind him for the houself.

"He -- he -- has on _every hat I ever made_," Hermione feebly pointed to a stack of badly knit elf hats, under which was Dobby, smiling grandly as he brought them a triple decker chocolate cake.

"Woah! Dobby, my friend!" Ron crowed, "Have I told you how _smashing_ you look today!...yeah, just set it here...."

Dobby placed the cake in front of Ron, and then there was a blur of brightly colored hats as he ran to get a knife to cut the cake.

"Er...yeah, Dobby really liked the hats," Harry said, patting Hermione's arm comfortingly.

"So - none of the other houselves got hats?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry told her.

"I'll just have to make some more," Hermione decided.

Harry shook his head. Gryffindor Tower would never be clean again.

Soon they were all near bursting, even Ron (but he plowed through the remainder of the cake, nonetheless).

"Guess I won't be going to dinner tonight," Ginny said, kneeling next to the fire against a pillow Dobby had brought her.

Harry noticed she looked incredibly comfortable. In fact, it was all very comfortable: the warm fire, a full stomach, Neville and Luna talking animatedly about the last quidditch match (Slytherin vs Hufflepuff) - it was enough to make Harry sleepy...no, make that very sleepy....

"Harry!"

Someone was shaking him.

"Harry!"

That would be Hermione.

"Wha -!" Harry shot up from his chair, "Oh, it's you, Hermione."

"Harry, mate," Ron said from beside him, "you drifted off for a couple of minutes -- ."

"Dobby just came running down here," Ginny explained, breathlessly, "he said something's wrong. Dumbledore's called all the houselves upstairs, and he told them to lock the common rooms - ."

"We've got to go!" Hermione blurted.

"Right," Harry gripped his wand, and they all made a dash for the door.

Ron grabbed the handle and pulled -- the door wouldn't open. Hermione shoved Ron aside, "Alohomora!" The door still wouldn't budge.

"We're locked in!" Ginny cried, taking her turn at wrenching at the door.

"You know," Luna said, calmly, "there's another door down there." She pointed to the other end of the kitchen.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny raced to other end of the kitchen.

"LOCKED!" Ron roared, pounding at the door.

"That won't do any good," Hermione pulled Ron's fist from the door, "There are silencing charms around the kitchens."

"There has to be another door!" Harry exclaimed.

"Let me think, let me think," Hermione fiercely pressed her palm to her head, willing the diagram of the kitchens from _Hogwarts: A History_ to come to her, "There's only one more. It goes out onto the grounds."

She whipped around on her heel and darted for a side room. The room was filled with flour and sugar and connected to a short hallway that she led them through.

"There," she pointed to a short door - a houself's height - at the end of the hall, "That should go out onto a bank that leads down to the lake - I think."

"Worth a try," Harry squeezed past her and jerked at the door handle. It wouldn't open. "Alohomara!" Nothing.

Ginny, Ron, Neville, and Luna had made it into the hallway and were checking in side rooms for any other doors.

"There's only those three," Neville called from a pantry.

"Okay," Harry muttered, "Stand back a bit, Hermione."

"What are you going to do?" she asked apprehensively.

"I'm going to command it open."

"That could work...." she said, obviously mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that before.

"OPEN!" Harry commanded, thrusting his wand at the door.

It didn't work.

"What!" Harry wiggled his wand, irritated, "Open! Open! Open, door! Open, elf-door!"

"Houselves are immensely powerful," Hermione said, "if they locked us in here with their magic, I doubt we're getting out until they come and open the doors."

"What should we do?" Ginny asked as she and the other three came back into the hall.

Harry racked his brain for ideas, "Maybe...there are more ways to get out of here besides a door..."

"Of course," Hermione breathed, her face glowing with excitement.

"How?" Neville asked.

"There's a fireplace. Maybe we could floo out," Ron suggested.

"Good thinking," Ginny said, leading the group in their dash to the fireplace at the far end of the kitchen, "I don't see any floo powder!" she cried, knocking things off the mantle.

Harry tore open the nearest pantry closet and began throwing out the contents. He swung around to check the others' progress. Ron was looming over him, covered with the mustard, brown sugar, and tomato sauce that Harry had tossed out of the closet.

"_Find the floo powder?_" he growled, shaking off bits of the smashed condiment jars.

"Um..not - not in there," Harry said, vaguely pointing to the closet behind him.

"Oh, really!" Hermione sighed, pulling Neville and Luna off of the counters (They had been tossing things out of the cupboards.), "_Accio floo powder_!"

Nothing came to her.

"There is no floo powder."

"How does she _always_ know what to do?" Ron moaned, mixing a bit of the mustard and brown sugar on his shirt, "Man, this doesn't even taste good!"

Hermione moved on to the other side of the kitchen, inspecting each corner.

Ginny had put the fire out and had crawled into the fireplace, "It still leads somewhere though," she told Harry and Ron, brushing off her robes.

"We could levitate someone up there!" Neville said after he and Luna had joined them in their cluster by the fireplace.

"I don't know -- ," Harry started.

" - Harry, what are our other options," Ron whispered, looking nervously over his shoulder at Hermione who was still out of earshot, "Something bad must being going on if Dumbledore's locked everyone in the common rooms."

"Oh, all right, but who are we going to levitate?"

Luna raised her hand.

"Great, Luna can - ."

"I nominate Neville," she said, smiling serenely at him.

Neville flushed, "I - I don't know if I...."

The others beamed expectantly at him.

"Okay," he squeaked.

Ginny helped him climb into the fireplace.

"Now, watch your head," Harry said.

"Shh!" Ron quieted him, "Hermione'd kill us."

Harry whispered the levitation spell, and Neville rose up the chimney. Harry saw Hermione go into the adjacent hallway from the corner of his eye.

"Neville!" he shouted up the chimney, "do you see anything, mate?"

There was no response.

"I can't hear him," Harry said, "Ron, do have a pair of Extendables on you?"

Ron produced a pair. Harry shoved the fleshy bulb in his ear and waved the cord up the chimney.

"Harry, I don't see anything! Harry? Can you hear me!" Neville was calling faintly.

"Yes, Neville!" Harry yelled, "How far up does it go!"

"Far!" Neville called, "But I don't see an end!"

"I bet it's charmed," Harry told the others, "I've never seen any chimney stacks on the outside of the castle."

"I can hear teachers!" Neville hollered.

"What are they - ."

"GUYS!" Hermione clamored, running out of the hallway and skidding to a halt just before colliding with them, "Come away from the fireplace....c'mon!" she urged, already dashing to the center of the kitchens.

"But - ." Ginny waved a hand to the fireplace, but Ron grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.

"They send our food up by placing it on these tables first, right?" Hermione prompted.

"Yes," Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna responded monotonously.

"Maybe if we get on the tables we'll be sent up too!"

The five of them climbed onto the closest table, but nothing happened.

"Good plan," Ron grumbled.

"It has to work somehow!" Hermione groaned, laying across the table and beating it with her fists.

"Yeah, that's going to help," Harry pulled her fists away from the table.

"Maybe there has to be food on the tables?" Luna mused from her position flat on her back, flapping her arms as if making a snow angel.

They dove off the tables and started dragging things out of the cupboards and placing them up and down the tables.

"Okay," Ron laughed, "Obviously, you three have never noticed, but the sweets are always in the center and the meat's -- ."

Hermione pulled her wand on him, "Enough about _food. _ You're obsession with food is the reason we're stuck in this kitchen in the first place!"

"Oh-ho! That's it!" Ron sneered, snatching a cup of chocolate sauce from the table and advancing on Hermione.

Harry grabbed Ron by the back of the shirt, and Ginny held Hermione by her waist. This action did not stop Ron who flung the contents of the chocolate canister, but Hermione's wand work was quicker, "Reverso!" The chocolate sauce whipped around mid-air and splattered all over Ron and Harry.

"Hey, I was helping you!" Harry cried, releasing Ron and wiping chocolate sauce off his glasses.

Harry quickly realized what he'd done and seized Ron again, but Ron's momentary freedom had given him the opportunity to launch the contents of a pumpkin juice jug at Hermione and Ginny. Ginny unceremoniously released Hermione and advanced on Ron with a bowl of soup.

"Now, now," Harry swung around to block Ron, "this - this is not going to accomplish anything."

Ron struggled behind Harry, waving about a jar of raspberry jam like a club, splattering the group. Hermione and Ginny looked forlornly at their bowl of soup.

"You're right, of course," Hermione said, forcibly making Ginny set the bowl down on the table.

The four stood, taking deep breaths and releasing each other. They heard a splash behind them and turned to see Luna drenching herself with the bowl of soup.

"Now we're all covered in food," she smiled, making sure her entire person was cloaked in soup.

Hermione laughed, "Except Nev - where's Neville?"

"Oh...he's...around...." Ron forced a chuckle, "Good ol' - ol' Neville...." He was overcome by a sneezing attack.

Ginny, who had turned a deep crimson, took Hermione by the wrist and led her over to the side where she whispered something in her ear.

"_Oh -- my -- word!_" Hermione enunciated severely.

Harry and Ron cringed and drew away as she turned on them.

"You levitated him up the CHIMNEY!"

She ran to the other end of the room and stuck her head up the fireplace, calling to Neville. Ron slowly and meaningfully picked up a little bottle of lemon juice, leisurely strolled over to Ginny, and raised it with a flourish over her head on which he dribbled the juice. She sighed and remained still obediently, pressing her eyes tightly shut so the lemon juice wouldn't sting.

Hermione returned to the house tables a couple of minutes later, her most vicious glare screwed to her face.

"Where's Neville?" Harry asked worriedly.

Hermione inhaled deeply and shut her eyes before responding, "He's _stuck_."

There was a moment of forced polite silence - until Ron snorted and fell against the table, laughing, tipping over several more containers. Harry himself had trouble maintaining a straight face - until Hermione placed a deathly clench on his forearm and dragged him to the fireplace.

"Get him out."

"How?"

Hermione stared, "You got him _up there_!"

"Snitch," Harry muttered, climbing into the fireplace, "Oi! Neville!"

Hermione handed him the Extendable Ears.

"I'm up here, Harry!"

"Obviously. What happened!"

"Well...the fireplace narrows a bit as you go up...."

"Got it. I'm going to suck you down."

Harry climbed out of the fireplace.

"Hermione, can you get a cushion or something in there?"

Hermione cast a spell and a mattress materialized in the fireplace.

"Okay," Harry rubbed his hands together, "Here goes nothing. PULL HIM DOWN!" Harry roared at the fireplace.

Harry stepped back. Ron, Ginny, and Luna gathered around the fireplace.

"How's it coming?" Ron asked, munching on an apple.

"Oh, he -- ."

As Harry spoke, Neville fell, screaming, hitting the mattress with such force that it propelled him back up, screaming, and then there was the uncomfortable slurping sound as Neville was secured in the narrow fireplace again, screaming.

"I don't think that accomplished much," Luna commented, taking a seat in a nearby rocking chair.

"Neville, stop screaming!" Hermione shouted into the fireplace.

Liberal amounts of soot were dumped on her face. Harry offered her his handkerchief, half of which was already covered in chocolate sauce and raspberry jam.

"Sorry, 'bout that Neville," Harry called, "Pull him down gently!" Harry commanded.

They waited and waited and waited, and three minutes later Neville appeared, comfortably floating down the chimney, whacking all the soot off his robes. Hermione and Ginny led him over to a chair next to Luna's.

"Harry - " Neville said, hopping off the rocker as soon as he'd sat down, "I heard a couple of teachers and Dumbledore talking while I was up there. I couldn't make out much, but they were panicky and kept shouting spells as they were trying to talk, and then Dumbledore told one of them that was five hundred of _them_ attacking the castle."

"Them?" Harry repeated.

"I don't know what they were talking about, but there's five hundred of whatever it is."

"You don't think it could be Death Eaters, do you?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Voldemort doesn't have five hundred Death Eaters," Harry said dismissively.

"It could be anything," Ginny added, unhelpfully.

"Look, we've got to get out of here," Harry said compellingly.

"Have you guys tried anything else? You know, while I was in the fireplace...." Neville asked, taking in their stained clothes and food-swiped faces.

Hermione laughed weakly, "We were a little unsuccessful."

"Right...." Neville chuckled.

"And we're not going to get out of here by way of the tables. So, Plan C?" Harry looked around at the others for ideas, "Me neither...." he mumbled.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were weakly laughing, having just learned that Luna's weakness was Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They had tried in vain to get out, ramming things against the walls, jerking at the doors some more, searching for windows, and there was no way out. Tired, they had resigned to sitting mournfully around the fireplace, trying to forget about what was going on elsewhere in the castle. It was getting progressively harder though because the pounding had begun. The silencing charms around the kitchen did not keep them from hearing what was going on outside, and they could tell that people or creatures were running up and down the hall, screaming and yelling every kind of spell. There was also a horrible pounding noise and a high-pitched screeching they couldn't place. Hermione had grown pale and wouldn't move her eyes from the very corner of the fireplace hearth. Neville was trembling ever so slightly. Ron was nibbling on a foot long breadstick out of nervousness. Even Luna looked scared. However, Harry insisted they keep talking to try and block out what was going on. He was doing the contrary though, listening intently to the spells being yelled most of which were hexes.

"So, Ron, what was your strength?" he asked, tearing off a piece of Ron's breadstick but not eating.

"Um...strategy," Ron said between bites.

"And your weakness?"

Ron took an overlarge bite and said something through his chewing, which they conveniently couldn't make out.

"What about you, Hermione?" Ginny asked, running a shaking hand through her sticky and hardening hair.

"My strength - ," Hermione broke off as there were several short screams outside, "uh...is...um...remembering things and collecting knowledge."

"Of course," Neville said with his best attempt at pleasantry.

"And my weakness was...er...foretelling the future," she said, hurriedly.

Harry looked at her curiously, but before he could comment he heard a faint cry that pierced him right in the heart. None of the others seemed to hear, but Harry could hear the repeated cry of, "Avada Kedavra!"

The fireplace behind them sprang to life, a fire crackling ominously. They gasped and scooted away, but Harry knew he had caused it and his heart pounding, he stood. "Forget this!" he spat. He drew his wand and faced the wall that stood between them and the hallway.

"Get in the pantry, quick!" he ordered.

The others scuttled to the pantry, and from the crack in the door they vaguely heard Harry bellow, and then with a great rumbling noise the wall burst apart, stone flying everywhere. Harry was caught up in the dust and the shards of the wall. And Ron quickly snapped the pantry door shut.

A/N: Man, that was a hard chapter to write. Well, you can imagine what the next installment is about! I like cliffhangers, I really do. Anyway, thanks so much to all my reviewers! I love reading the reviews! It's one of my favorite parts of the whole..er...fanfiction process? So please review, and again, God bless!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: I admit — I DO NOT own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.  
  
Chapter Thirteen -

Hermione tore at Ron's shoulders, throwing open the pantry door and diving into the kitchen. Dust was clouding the air, and she couldn't see anything."HARRY!" she cried in frustration, hoping her best friend was not the victim of the rubble she was now tripping over, searching for him in vain.She felt a hand grab her's and pull her. She then heard what sounded like chunks of the ceiling crashing behind her where she had been standing."Close one," she heard Harry say in her ear.

The dust was beginning to clear, and she could see a blurry figure, presumably Harry, tugging her towards the massive hole he had just made in the wall.

"Ron and them are still in the pantry — ." Hermione started as Harry helped her into the hallway."I want to check this out first," he said.Hermione could now see Harry perfectly. His robe was a bit torn and there was debris in his hair, but he didn't appear to have any scratches or bruises. The hallway was deserted. The wall crashing must have moved any of the action away from the area."I really hope a student outside the kitchen didn't caught in the rubble," Harry said worriedly, taking a quick look behind them, still guiding Hermione down the hall.

Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Neville were beginning to emerge from the kitchen. Ron had resolutely refused to let Harry and Hermione run off to fight what he determined to be Death Eaters without him.

Harry and Hermione could hear the din of fighting around the corner. Hermione gripped Harry's hand tightly. Before rounding the corner, Harry stopped and looked apprehensively at Hermione."You've got my wand hand," he said, raising their hands so Hermione could observe her death grip on his right hand."Oh!" she exclaimed, quickly letting go and standing awkwardly while Harry pulled his wand from his robe pockets.She was about to continue making her way up the hall, but Harry strode to Hermione's right side and grasped her other hand with his left."Ready?" he asked.His cheeks were tinging pink as they always did before he entered a battle. Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes! Of course!" she cried, tugging Harry toward the corner of the hall.

Harry tried to ascertain the spells being used at the moment by the lights that were ricocheting from the corner, but it was no use. Anything was fair game, he decided. He held his wand at chest height and stepped around the corner. Immediately after he took in the sight before him he pushed Hermione behind him, making sure she was firmly pressed between him and the wall.

There were at least twenty helfdares in this corridor alone, rocketing themselves toward the clumps of Ravenclaws. Most of the students had cast shields and were now hovering helplessly behind them as the helfdares pecked away at the blue glows which were becoming progressively dimmer. A couple of students were juggling more than one wand and shouting anything that came to their mind at the helfdares, which probably explained why Harry had heard the Avada Kedavra curse. Several students were lying cold on the floor. Harry couldn't see any teachers on this hall. All of this he took in a couple of seconds, not having time to spare.

With one last check to make sure Hermione was securely behind him, he pointed his wand at the closest helfdare, and with the burning image of a limp, brown-haired, green-eyed Ravenclaw boy at his feet, Harry shouted, "BURN!"

One down.

"BURN! BURN! BURN! BURN! BURN! BURN....."

The helfdares erupted into flames, disappearing just before they hit the ground. A few moments later the hallway was cleared, an ill grey smoke was hovering over the floor. Students began to collapse from exhaustion, some widening their eyes in awe before slumping against the wall and shutting their eyes.

"What happened here!" Ron ogled, having just rounded the corner, sparks emitting from his wand."Helfdares," Hermione responded, her voice muffled behind Harry.Ron snapped his head around, as if trying to place that voice. He shook his head slightly, grabbing Harry by the forearm and tearing him away from his dazed and stony stance, "Mate, you've got Hermione — ," Ron tugged a bit harder to pull Harry away, "_against the wall_."

Harry snapped out of his reverie and looked alertly from Ron to Hermione, "You both all right?" he asked, anxiously.

"I might ask you that same question," Hermione said, "It must be tiring using commanding magic repeatedly."

"Not really," Harry replied, as if it really was no concern, "Where are the others — Neville and Luna and Ginny?"

Harry made to run down the kitchen corridor to retrieve them, but Ron caught him in the forearm again, "They've gone down on the other end to see what's going on."

That was when it dawned on Harry.

"Five-hundred. Neville said there was five-hundred. They're all over the castle!" he wailed.

As if on cue, there was a shriek from above them.

"Accio Firebolt!" Harry paced impatiently the thirty seconds it took for his Firebolt to make it unscathed from his dorm room.

"We're going to clear the castle," he informed them.Similar to when his Defense students had been able to perform the strength and weakness revelation command, Harry commanded that Hermione and Ron be able to use the Burn command. Ron called his own broom (more anxious pacing from Harry)They jumped on and were just about to kick of when Hermione "ahem-ed" behind them."I don't a have a broom," she said with a nervous smile.Harry grabbed her forcefully by the wrist and flung her on his Firebolt.

"I don't fly eith ---- ahhh!" Harry kicked off the floor and zoomed dangerously through the corridor making a sharp turn at the staircase, Ron close behind him.

"Have your wand ready!" he shouted at them.

Hermione uneasily detached one of her arms from Harry's waist to retrieve her wand. Harry chose that moment to spiral upward. Hermione screamed like Neville when he fell down the chimney, throwing her arm back around Harry and squeezing for dear life. She wasn't sure through her blinding fear, but she thought she heard Harry laugh and yell, "We'll just see how far you get in Auror training!"

She decided as Harry neared another patch of students fighting helplessly against the helfdares on the third floor that if Harry did in fact say that, she would torture him by using big words for the rest of the week. Her train of thought was interrupted by an angry vibration in her arms. She realized that Harry had begun to shout the burning command, and his whole body was racking with anger. Ron was flying beside them, also shooting the spheres of fire — with less precision, however. She drew her own wand to disperse a couple of the strange hybrids that were circling above them menacingly, but as she ordered for them to burn, her own body began shaking convulsively and she plunged into the frightening and deep water.

Harry really hadn't wanted to, but Hermione insisted that he read her the Daily Prophet. She just knew there would be an article about the helfdare attack on Hogwarts. She would read it herself, but she still had a horrible headache left over from her second "seizure." It had been two days since the attack. However, Madam Pomfrey had informed her that the Prophet had not printed anything the previous day. She couldn't believe they would overlook it.

She had a pretty good idea of everything that had happened that day — based on what Ron and Harry had told her: Voldemort had been breeding the helfdares, and of course, on the one afternoon that month that Dumbledore would be at the Ministry, Voldemort had chosen to send the foul things. Four-hundred and sixty-eight — Harry and Ron kept a running tally. Luckily, Dumbledore turned up early and was able to command a few away himself, but evidently (and this Hermione found strange), commanding magic drained him of energy. She herself had had a seizure in the middle of the third floor. Once she had passed out, Ron flew her into a broom closet and barricaded it. Harry had set up some shields so the helfdares wouldn't penetrate the door. They then cleaned out the rest of the castle, ending in a very exhausting day. Ron added bitterly during their story that McGonagall then made them go around and collect the "fallen" students. Thirty-seven, Harry had sighed, hanging his head in his hands. Harry ended the story by shamefully telling her that when all the excitement was over they got her and brought her to the hospital wing. Hermione enjoyed recalling how he had apologized for a solid half hour before pausing long enough for her to assure him that it was fine and that she would have been very angry if he and Ron had dropped everything to carry her to a helfdare infested infirmary.

"I refuse to read this rubbish," Harry declared, making to toss the Daily Prophet out the window.

"No!" Hermione cried, struggling with the excessive amount of pillows on her bed, trying to snatch her newspaper from Harry.Harry sighed in a defeated manner and smacked the paper down on her bed. Hermione smirked and eagerly opened the paper, hoping she could get a few minutes of reading in before her headache took over, "See, it's not that ba —."

She had opened to a picture of Harry that took up a full page. He was darting around on his Firebolt in a smoky corridor, shouting with all his might, his wand pointed ferociously, strange birds were dive-bombing in the background.

"How did they get this?" she asked, attempting to hold back her laughter as picture-Harry pointed his wand directly at the reader and the picture was momentarily obscured by a ball of light that soon faded.

"Colin," Harry muttered bitterly, "Even while his shield was diminishing ridiculously fast and a helfdare was pecking in the direction of his forehead, he managed to take a shot of me."

"Aww," Hermione cast him an exaggerated look of sympathy before bright points of light began to swim in her vision and her headache staggered back in full strength.

Her face scrunched up in pain, and she squirmed uncomfortably under the covers.

"The headache back?" Harry asked soothingly.

He dipped a washcloth in the bedside water basin, then pressed it against Hermione's forehead.

"Urgh," Hermione writhed, "it's murder."

He cast a warming charm on the cloth. Hermione moaned, "Ah, that feels so much better."

"You've been having these since you woke up from the seizure," Harry said, resuming his seat in the chair beside her.

"Yeah...." Hermione mumbled, "About that. I need to tell you — ." She winced at a stab of pain in her head.

"Maybe you shouldn't talk right now," Harry said uncertainly.

"No, I'm fine. It's just I know that I saw something, but now I can't remem — urgh," she threw her hand to her forehead and tried to grind the warm washcloth through her skull.

"Oookay...." Harry said, bolting from his seat, "Getting a little overzealous, aren't we?"

Hermione opened her eyes just long enough to glare, "Yeah, well — I'd like to see you get inside my head right now, see how long you last...."

Harry pulled her hand away from her forehead and cupped it over her eyes, much to Hermione's indignation. He then took her hand that had been hanging limply over the side of her bed and cupped it to her mouth.

"Now, I want you to stay like that until I'm done with the twenty-seventh chapter of _Quidditch Through the Ages_."

As soon as Harry had stepped away, Hermione uncovered both her eyes and mouth, "That gives me an idea!"she exclaimed (immediately regretting it – more bright lights.

"What? _Quidditch Through the Ages_?" Harry asked, stubbornly replacing her hands over her eyes and mouth, "Don't bother answering that question," he smirked.

Again, Hermione flung her arms to the side, "No -- what I just said about you getting into my head — Harry, if you put my hands back one more time, I'll disfigure you — ."

Harry indeed replaced her hands, "You wouldn't disfigure me — it would be too tragic," he joked.

"Legilimency!" Hermione uttered.

Harry's hands fell, pulling down Hermione's by the wrists, "What?"

"It could be useful to us if I could remember what happens in my mind during the seizures – it might help know why they happen, how to block them, whatnot — but I can't remember. However, if you used Legilimency on me, we could see what I see during the seizures."

Harry resolutely placed both of Hermione's hands over her mouth and drawing away, "I'm not going to go probing around your mind. It's not fair to you."

"I don't care!" Hermione cried, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation.

"No," Harry said as if it was his final word.

"You're going to use legilimency on Ginny!" she argued.

"That's different."

"How?"

"I know what I'm looking for with Ginny. We have no idea what your visions look like during the seizures. I might see something I shouldn't."

"Harry," Hermione said earnestly, "you know me better than anyone. It won't hurt anything, I swear."

Harry looked at her appraisingly, "I'll think about it ---- ."

Hermione grinned manically.

"— _but_, you have to promise me something."

"Anything!"

"You have to shut up for the next couple of hours."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Fine — ."

"Ah, that would be talking," Harry grinned.

Hermione pursed her lips together but remained silent.

"Now, scoot over," Harry ordered, nudging Hermione's arm.

Eying him warily, Hermione rolled over to the far side of the infirmary bed. He propped himself up against Hermione's pillows.

"Where's Ron — ."

Her question was muffled as Harry determinedly fixed his palm to Hermione's mouth.

"He's in detention," Harry explained, covering Hermione's eyes with his other hand, "and will be for a couple of days." Hermione's lips pulled apart under Harry's palm.

"Why, you ask," Harry said, clearly amused by Hermione's predicament, "turns out he _mistook_ Snape for a helfdare and _accidently_ set his robes on fire."

Hermione, trying to adjust to the uncomfortable headlock, rested her head in the crook of Harry's arm.

"By the way," Harry said softly, "we're having dinner with Tonks and Remus tomorrow night."

Hermione just barely nodded her head so he would know she had heard. It wasn't long, however, that her afternoon sleeping pill took over and she was sound asleep.

Harry laughed to himself, "Do I have news for you when you wake up....."

A/N: Okay! There's a little H/H there for all of you. Not much – I try not to be big on fluff, but who knows.... However, I must warn you it will be a long and difficult road....which makes it all the better. :) Please review! God bless!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. It's pretty simple.

Chapter Fourteen

"Mr. Potter."

Harry stopped just short of the staircase. Something innate kept him from turning to face the person who had addressed him.

"Yes, perhaps it would be best if you kept your back to me."

A black envelope was gently laid on the banister, alongside Harry's right hand.

"Please owl this back when your decision has been made. One of Professor Dumbledore's owls should know where to bring it. Pity about what happened last night. Good day, Mr. Potter."

Harry opened the envelope and caught a small piece of paper that fluttered out.

— Mr. Potter. Concerning Peter Pettigrew's trial. Defendant pleads innocent. Under Imperious curse. Believed the Potters to be living in Welsdale as of day of murder. Staying with Arthur Hemmings night of murder. Does not remember Black's attack. Remained in illegal animagus form out of grief. Movement to imprison for ten years. Movement to imprison for life. Movement to administer kiss. Movement to release free of charges. Please reply with vote or movement promptly. —

"Harry, mate."

Harry turned to Ron.

"Is Hermione going to be okay?"

Harry pocketed the black envelope as he spoke, "Yeah, she...she kind of is. I didn't talk about the casualties when I was in the hospital wing with her. It's like...she remembers what was happening, but she doesn't remember how...bad it was."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked as they began to make their way to Dumbledore's office.

"You saw her."

"Only for a second. She couldn't speak when she first woke up, Harry."

"Like...she knows the helfdares attacked, she knows what happened to her. She even knows that thirty-seven students died, but she's acting as if everything's normal. Madam Pomfrey said she's probably in shock or something. I mean, she did wake up in the hospital, with us bleeding and hanging over her. I dunno. I tried to be normal too, but I'm used to Hermione having it together. I even lied a little bit."

Ron halted in front of the gargoyles, searching his pockets for the password, "What'd you tell her?"

"That you had detention with Snape because you set his robes on fire and that she and me are supposed to have dinner with Remus and Tonks tomorrow."

"Hey, how come I wasn't invited — sugar quills."

The gargoyles sprang apart to admit them.

"Ginny's already up there – with Percy," Ron added bitterly.

It had been twenty hours since the helfdares had attacked. Most of the students were locked in the dormitories. Still, many were being treated for minor injuries in the Transfiguration classroom where beds and chairs had been set up. Dumbledore, wise as he was, thought it would be best to leave only Hermione in the actual hospital wing due to her fragile condition. The arrangement was supposed to keep things as normal for her as possible. Harry was baffled as to her weird reaction to the attacks. She had been completely normal after she woke up from the first seizure. In the meantime, Dumbledore had been receiving people, trying to smooth over the whole affair ("Yeah, real smooth, Dumbledore," Ron had chided, "forget to mention the thirty-seven bodies in the potions dungeon.") Ron, Ginny, and Harry were only allowed free roam of the castle because they knew about the Order. Harry gathered that Ron and Ginny had been flooing to Order members and explaining what had happened. Remus, Shacklebolt, Mundungus, and Mr. Weasley were already on the grounds. Ron just couldn't figure out where.

"I don't know what Dumbledore's planning to do about this," Ron told Harry as they neared the landing outside Dumbledore's office, "He's not telling the ministry _anything._ He actually said that everyone was fine. Fine! Huh, not the first years though."

Harry grabbed Ron by the arm, holding him outside the doors.

"Woah, what—."

"They were _all_ first years? All thirty-seven?"

"Yeah," Ron replied roughly.

"Were they in the same part of the castle?"

"No. That's the weird thing. They were scattered. I guess they just couldn't make good enough shields. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Harry let go of Ron, "Yeah. That's...that's probably it."

Ron reached for the door handle.

"Were any Slytherins?"

Ron sighed, "I wasn't checking the color of their sweater emblems when I was levitating them to the dungeons."

"Right, sorry."

The door swung open, "C'mon."

Ginny guided Harry and Ron into the office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, staring into his pensieve resolutely.

"He's been staring at that bowl for twenty minutes," Ginny whispered with concern for the headmaster as Harry and Ron passed by her to sit across from the desk.

"Oh, he's just watching his memories," Harry said, dismissively.

"Harry, hello," Dumbledore muttered, not looking up from his pensieve, "Will you come and look at this, please?"

Confused, Harry stood from his chair and crossed to Dumbledore's desk.

"Come around."

As Harry neared Dumbledore's side, he could see the swooping figures of the helfdares reflected in the liquid .

"Do you see this one? Just here," Dumbledore pointed out a helfdare that repeatedly flew into the wall, passed through the wall, and returned from the other side, "Did you see one do this?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "I've never seen one act that way before. As far as I know they can't pass through something solid."

"Yes, well...."

Dumbledore trailed off and returned to his pensieve. It was then that Harry noticed a leg sticking out from underneath Dumbledore's desk. Checking to make sure the headmaster was enthralled by his memories, Harry knelt and peered under the desk. He jerked himself up, stiff as a board.

"Sir, Percy Weasley is unconscious under your desk," Harry informed him hesitantly.

"Yes," Dumbledore stirred the liquid around with his fingertip, "Unfortunately, we had to subdue Mr.Weasley."

Ginny snickered, "We found him behind the draperies, trying to listen in on Dumbledore's correspondences after the attack."

"Uh...well," Harry stammered, "as long as...do you...is he going to be all right?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore mused, rising from his chair and returning the pensieve to it's cabinet, "Harry, if you would take a seat. Now would be an excellent time to discuss our present course of action."

Harry obeyed silently.

"I have already met with the other professors. Those in the Order advised that I inform you three also...well, Professor Snape had some doubts — ."

"Naturally," Ron grumbled.

" — but nonetheless, here we go. As of now — we have no idea what location the helfdares were released from, if we should expect another attack from these creatures or any other dark creatures, how the helfdares were bred in such great number – they're very rare, how many managed to escape with a significant amount of magical energy, or the ramifications of this attack on the school's establishment. We do, however, have a very good hunch it was Voldemort's doing."

"Really?" Ron said, sarcastically, "Because I thought it was mail delivery gone haywire."

"Ron," Ginny hissed.

"That's quite all right, Miss Weasley. Mr. Weasley has every right to express his opinion — ."

"What do you mean 'ramifications on the school's establishment'?" Harry interrupted.

Dumbledore folded his fingers together and sighed before responding, "I know you have been in the hospital wing with Miss Granger for most of yesterday evening and this morning, but I am sure you were informed of the death of thirty-seven students — ."

"Thirty-seven first years."

"—Yes. In the past, the ministry has not looked favorably upon deaths among Hogwart's student body."

"What does the ministry want to do?" Harry said, rising from his chair.

"I have not spoken with the ministry on that matter...yet."

"I bet the ministry's not looking too favorably upon that either," Harry said, brazenly.

"You do get wittier as you get older," Dumbledore sighed.

Ginny cleared her throat, "Professor, what can Harry, Ron, and I do now?"

Dumbledore softly nodded his head and reached for a stack of envelopes on his desk, "I need to make sure one of these is personally delivered to each member of the staff, and one of these," Dumbledore handed them each a red piece of paper, "is read to each common room. The passwords are on the back of each paper, with the exception of Gryffindor's, of course."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny headed for the door.

"Oh!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "Thank-you for your help, and Harry, I'm sorry that I could not answer your question today."

"Hang in there, Professor," Harry smiled, "...And you might want to check on Percy every once in while."

* * *

Slytherin. Of course. Dumbledore handed Harry the red piece of paper with the Slytherin common room's password. He was also given the envelopes for Snape and McGonagall. He passed reverently by the potion's classroom, where the thirty-seven students were, and moved on to the long, twisting corridor that ended in the Slytherin common room.

"They're imbeciles," Harry muttered as he read their password, "_Gryffindor bites._"

The portrait swung open. The dark common room fell silent – at first because everyone wanted to see who entered and then because they indeed saw who entered. It might have been his hatred causing hallucinations again, but Harry was pretty sure he heard one of the larger Slytherins bark for his machete, so he speeded up the process.

"Dumbledore sent me to deliver a message," Harry called over the common room.

"Get on with it then," a familiar voice drawled, slithering from the back of the common room to the foot of the stair that led from the portrait hole.

"Read it yourself," Harry snarled, throwing the red paper at Malfoy.

Malfoy labored over unfolding the paper, flourishing it in front of him and then reading it to himself first.

"Potter," Malfoy said in a low voice, "have you read this?"

The rest of the Slytherins were becoming restless with the exchange.

"No, I have not," Harry replied, grasping his wand in his robe pocket in case Malfoy started being smart.

"You might want to."

Malfoy held out the paper. Harry snatched it from him.

_Say: Professor Dumbledore would like you all to know that everything is under control. Classes have been cancelled for at least a week, and yes, most of your time will have to be spent in the dormitories. Please take this intermission to remember the sacrifices made by those placed in the path of evil and prepare yourself in case such a horrid event should happen again. You, of course, will be able to contact your families as often as you like, but be careful about what you write._

_Know: Professor Snape will not be with the Slytherins because he will be leaving tomorrow to do a favor for me and several others of whom you know well. Remus Lupin, who cannot travel at this time, will be keeping an eye on the Slytherins. Harry, please remain calm when you encounter any Slytherin student this week. Remember the importance of unity, and do not misjudge a certain personal opponent of your's. Get some rest tonight and come to my office in the morning. _

Harry looked up from the letter.

"Bad thing to hand to me, huh?" Malfoy sneered, "Turns out you and Dumbledore are even closer than I thought."

"Could I speak with you for a moment – outside?" Harry requested through gritted teeth.

Malfoy turned to smile gloatingly at the other Slytherins and allowed his cloak to billow as he shoved passed Harry into the hall. Harry closed the portrait.

"Fine, you know more about me. You be would shocked to know what I know about you," Harry said threateningly.

"You don't scare me, Potter," Malfoy drew his wand.

"Put your wand down," Harry spat.

"Not up for a little duel?" Malfoy mocked, poking out his bottom lip, "Afraid of what might happen...."

"You know what, _Draco_, I am afraid of what might happen. I don't want to be injured, and I _really_ don't want to explain why your head is in the Forbidden Forest while the rest of your body is at the bottom of the lake."

Draco shoved his sparking wand into Harry's chest.

"Quick question before you obliterate me," Harry said, calmly, "If you have three circles, two rings, and wavy line that passes through them, and you want them to say _'Your Servant, Lucius Malfoy_'what request must you make?"

Malfoy's wand shook as he dug it into Harry's robes, "I don't know what you're taking about, Potter."

"Wand fall," Harry said.

Malfoy released his wand after it shocked his hand. It fell to the floor. Malfoy held out his wand hand and the wand sprang into his grasp, "I see you know how to _reveal yourself_."

A/N: Well, there it is. Hermione returns in the next chapter and hopefully it will be a bit more humorous. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review! God bless!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling owns it all.

Chapter Fifteen

Malfoy pocketed his wand, an action Harry took to mean that their conversation was over. Draco Malfoy just didn't speak to people without keeping a wand tip between that person and himself.

"We're not done here, Malfoy," Harry sneered.

"No, we're not. You've got a lot of explaining to do, Potter."

Malfoy ushered for Harry to follow him around the corner. Harry, against his better judgement, allowed himself to be steered to an empty classroom.

"Look, you can tell all your slimy friends what was in that note from Dumbledore. I don't care. It was nothing important and nothing that concerns — ."

"I think it concerns me a great deal, Potter," Malfoy flitted his wand, drawing a couple of desk chairs to him, "After all, I was mentioned in that friendly little note Dumbledore wrote you. _How_ he _pampers_ you – doesn't even send you to deliver a message without trying to make you feel _involved_ by adding footnotes about what's going on with the rest of your fan club."

Harry's face burned. Malfoy's perceptiveness angered him, "They're not my fan club, and Dumbledore doesn't pamper me. However, I'm sure it perturbs you that someone exists that doesn't grovel at your feet all day — ."

"Shut-up, Scarhead — ."

"— You know, someone to clip your toenails and bleach your hair or count your father's money for you — ."

Malfoy whipped out his wand, "Don't you dare think you have the right to talk about my father, Potter!"

"Oh, bite your pompous tongue, Malfoy! You've spoken worse about my parents!"

Malfoy sighed heavily and slumped into one of the desk chairs, "True."

Harry eyed him warily, then he also took a seat, "So, what are we doing here?"

"I want to bargain with you, Potter."

"Why?" Harry asked, slowly, "And about what?"

"If my father taught me anything, he taught me that you don't always have to like the people you work with. You've met my father's _colleagues_, so you must realize they were not the most stimulating group — ."

"That's observant of you, but what is this — ."

"Patience, Potter," Malfoy snapped, "I'm getting there."

"Well, hurry up. I have to get back upstairs soon or they'll come down here."

"Yes, yes, I know. The prince can't come down the tower for long —. "

Harry angrily stood to leave.

"Wait," Malfoy sighed."

"If you want to make a deal, then you'll be civil, Malfoy," Harry threw himself back into the chair.

"Fine...here it is. I'm not so stupid that I haven't noticed that my father's collection of dark arts manuals and certain...personal writings...are missing from the estate."

Harry maintained a blank stare.

"I also haven't forgotten your little moment of stupidity outside the portrait when you described my father's coded signature."

"Civility, Malfoy," Harry growled.

"Oh, sorry — your _art of genius_ when you revealed — to an enemy, might I add — that you are a Natural — ."

"You know what that is?" Harry interrupted.

Malfoy stroked his brow in irritation, "Of course, I know what it is. I think I might know a thing or two more about the Dark Lord than yourself."

"What has that got to do with Voldemort?"

"Say his name, increase his fame," Malfoy chanted viciously.

"Clever," Harry snorted, "What is that? Like a Death Eater bedtime rhyme?"

"I'm not a Death Eater," Malfoy spat.

"Could have fooled me."

"_Civility_, Potter."

"Fine, you're not a Death Eater. You just picnic with them."

"Something like that," Malfoy mused, "But don't look smug. You think you know so much about my background. Don't think that I don't know about the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry's expression darkened.

"That's right. It's not the secret club Dumbledore would have you believe. Pick my brain a little, you'll discover that Dumbledore's precious Order has a darker history than you might think..."

"I'm not staying if you're just going to blow that rubbish around," Harry said, "Now...what was this bargain you wanted? No guarantees I'll haggle though."

"I want access to my father's papers. Now, I do realize the_ content_. Therefore.. I know that no member of the Order of the Phoenix is going to allow me to keep them. I just want to read them, and I'm willing to offer something in return."

Harry remained silent for a moment, thinking Malfoy's offer over. He knew what the letters and journals contained. However, he was fairly certain it was information Voldemort already had — but Draco might want. In a couple of the more recent journal entries, which he and Hermione had just begun to read, Lucius Malfoy referred to disturbing actions by his son. Harry was unsure what these might be, but he did recognize the family tensions. With his father's death, Malfoy might simply be looking to understand him, understand his past. Or he could be attempting to gain access to the Order's secure areas. One particular thought struck Harry sharply: Malfoy appeared to know things about the Order already. In the past, Harry had dismissed any information Malfoy hinted to, but in the past, Malfoy had not been lying in his hints: he had known about Sirius and his history with Harry's father.

"You'll offer a couple of things. The first being some answers: why do want to read the letters?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "You may not know this, Potter, but my father recently died. I'm allowed personal reasons for wanting to read his journals."

"Fine. I'll arrange for you to read the _journals_...only."

"Don't worry...I don't want to know what my father wrote to his infamous crony. Just know that I know that there are letters, all right?"

"Noted," Harry snapped. Malfoy knew too much. "I guess our bargain's over. I have no problem with you reading your father's daily quibbles."

Malfoy cleared his throat, a small hint of nervousness, "I want access to the dark arts manuals as well."

"Impossible." Harry snorted, "That would be like giving a dueling opponent your wand."

"Yes. But you forget, Potter, you don't need your wand."

Malfoy was an idiot, "Of course I need my wand."

"Oh, drop this transparent facade," Malfoy snarled, "Naturals don't need wands."

Harry sighed, "I didn't know that."

"Boy, you are ignorant. Look, um...try a spell without it. Say _lumos_," Malfoy coached.

"_Lumos_," Harry said, dully.

Nothing happened.

"Do you have this attitude when you're fighting the Dark Lord because I can see why he gets closer to _killing you_ every time!"

Harry boiled with rage, "For the last time — shut your mouth, Malfoy!"

Jerking himself from his chair, Harry paced the room out of anger, "You think you know so much! Talking about the Order like its some slumber party that Voldemort's going to trash with a couple of poorly aimed hexes! Talking about the Death Eaters like you're _not_ involved! If there was ever wizard born to be a Death Eater – I think you're it!"

Malfoy didn't speak. Harry turned on him, "Are you just going to sit there while I attack you!"

Malfoy shook his head in disbelief, then gestured emphatically to his mouth.

"What!" Harry was becoming more irritated.

He made motions to indicate that he was trying to open his mouth but could not.

Enlightenment hit Harry, "Oh!" He pointed to Malfoy's mouth, "I did that?"

Malfoy threw up his hands, then glared oppressively at Harry.

"Oh, sorry. Open your mouth."

"Ladies and gentlemen...perhaps the _slowest learner_ to ever enter these hallowed halls," Malfoy stretched his jaw, "Like paste. What'd I tell you?"

"Fine. You knew about the Natural thing," Harry conceded.

"Evidently, I know a lot of information useful to you."

Harry took a seat again, "You're still not seeing the dark arts manuals."

"Bargaining table's still open," Malfoy dramatically swept his cloak around him as he took his seat.

"What do you want with them anyway?"

"I know you're not an idiot, Potter, you know I'm not a Death Eater. You should have known that since first year. I tried to become acquainted with you. Do you honestly think that I would have spoken to my father's arch enemy civilly – knowing who he was — if I was what my father was? I'm not saying that I don't dislike certain aspects of your personality. You have a blind arrogance and a lack of shrewdness that is very dangerous to your health, but I think you're one of the few people who can understand why I need access to those books and...other resources that I can attain with your help. You would die to protect a few people who don't really matter, and I would die trying to run the Dark Lord into the ground. To destroy everything he's done, his entire past. I can't say that I'd do it for the right reasons, but I would do it. And I can find out how to, but I know that _you_ have to do the deed. If you want to protect those people, you've got to get rid of him first, and your precious Order is very far from the right solution."

"How do I know that I can trust you?"

Malfoy rubbed his chin for several moments, "Naturals also have a very keen sense of intuition. That doesn't mean you recognize it or heed it, but think — have you ever _really_ doubted me? Have you ever been _certain_ that I was a Death Eater?"

Something he had once said to Ginny flashed into Harry's mind: _...Malfoy has a lot of choices to make, and we won't know what kind of person he is until he makes those choices. You don't have to hate him or think him evil, but don't put all your trust in him_.

"Anything you read, I read," Harry said, sternly.

Malfoy nodded.

"And Hermione reads it too," Harry added as an afterthought.

"Fair enough," Malfoy grumbled, "Now get upstairs before Dumbledore comes down and punishes me for detaining you."

Harry gave a weak grin, then walked to the door. He turned around abruptly at the threshold, "Another thing – you are not to mention our agreement to any of the Slytherins."

"Of course not. I'd have to waste time defining 'agreement' for them first."

A/N: Hmm...I wonder if Harry has made a mistake in his choice of a new ally? I know this chapter was kinda boring but I wanted to be very meticulous in developing Harry and Draco's alliance. After all, only four pages ago they were enemies. Thanks for reading! Please review! God bless.


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